Europe Meets Asia in Contemporary Dance

The 3 rd international dance festival entitled “Europe Meets Asia in Contemporary Dance” took place in Hanoi which brought a breath of fresh air to contemporary dance in Vietnam.

This year’s festival presented many unique dance pieces, such as “Underground” (Vietnam and France), “Lighting” (Vietnam and Germany), “In Translation” (the UK), “Mushroom Z” (Israel) and “Alphard” (Japan) which was really a visual feast. The audience experienced a broad spectrum of contemporary dance to soundtracks ranging from hip-hop through electronic to classical music.

Human feelings are clearly reflected in the dance piece entitled “Underground” performed by Vietnamese and French dancers.

The “Underground” dance piece expresses the emotions of people when living underground.

Among the dances, the “Underground” choreographed by John Bateman and Nguyen Anh Dung and performed by both Vietnamese and French artists left long-lasting impression on the audience. The dance was created from the inspiration of the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam which witnessed the glorious feats of the soldiers and people in the South during the resistance war against the US. The dance honoured the undaunted will and endurance of the Vietnamese people during the war.

The “Lighting” of Anna Konjetzky, a 33 year-old German choreographer, showed a new creativeness when she combined electronic sounds with musical instruments and movements of the dancers. The dance piece was staged with the coordination of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet, the Goethe Institute and Muffathalle – Munich and practiced for four weeks in Munich. It had a successful debut in Germany.

The “Mushroom Z” dance piece is performed by talented Israeli dancers.

Flexile movements in the “Alphard” dance piece by Japanese dancer Mikiko Kawamura.

At the festival, dancers from Israel performed the “Mushroom Z” which portrays a group of people, all different and their dealing with urban society where life is full of temptations, climaxes, ecstasy, routine and downfall, pleasures, hallucinations and more. The “Alphard” of Japanese dancer Mikiko Kawamura was made with her inspiration from the same name’s lonely bright star standing alone in the position of the snake’s heart in the constellation Hydra. With light installations, the young choreographer divides the state into nine squares, each with a different music them.

The dance festival was first organized in 2011 by EUNIC, the Network of European Cultural Institutes and Embassies in Hanoi, in cooperation with the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet. This year, the festival was held on a large scale with the coordination of the Goethe Institute with a target to introduce unique performances from Belgium, France, UK, Israel and Japan. It not only provided a chance for contemporary dancers in the world to exchanges experiences but also for the young Vietnamese contemporary dance art to affirm its development during the past years.

Story: Thuc Hien – Photo: Trinh Van Bo

Đăng ký: VietNam News

Europe Meets Asia in Contemporary Dance

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