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Dance in Vietnam
comprises several different forms including dance as performed in
Vietnamese theatre and opera
, dances performed at festivals, and royal dances of the imperial court. Dance is thought to have been an integral part of
Vietnamese culture
since ancient times.
Vietnam
is a diverse country with
54 different ethnic groups
, with the ethnic Vietnamese (known as
Kinh
) making up the majority of the population. This article mainly focuses on the traditional dances of the ethnic Vietnamese, although each of the many ethnic minorities of Vietnam have their own rich culture and dance styles.
Dancing in Vietnamese theatres
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Much of
Vietnamese theatre
and
Vietnamese music
are intertwined with each other, as well as with Vietnamese dance. Popular theatre forms such as
Hat tu?ng
,
[1]
Hat cheo
,
[2]
and
C?i l??ng
[3]
all often feature dance, however these dances are performed in a liberal manner without set rules, unlike other more specific dance styles.
Dances performed at festivals and important occasions
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The
lion dance
was imported from China into Vietnamese culture where it developed its own distinct style. It is performed primarily at traditional festivals such as
T?t
(Lunar new year) and T?t trung thu (
Mid-Autumn Festival
), but also during other occasions such as the opening of a new business. The lion dance is highly symbolic, supposedly used to ward off evil spirits. There are an abundance of styles and the lion dances are typically accompanied by
martial artists
and
acrobatics
.
Imperial court dances
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Accompanied with
Nha nh?c
(court music of the
Tr?n dynasty
to the
Nguy?n dynasty
) were the intricate dances of the Vietnamese Imperial court. Nha Nh?c means "elegant music" when translated. While assuredly court dances existed before nha nh?c in particular emerged, it is the Nguy?n dynasty form that is still highly preserved today, and has been declared along with the whole of nha nh?c as an
Intangible cultural heritage
.
These dances require great skill and the dancers are often dressed in extravagant costumes. Currently, they are performed at festivals in Hu? (
mua cung đinh Hu?
- court dance) or other special (often
televised
) occasions, in order to promote the traditional arts. Some of the most popular dances include (among others):
The meaning of "mua" extends to Mua r?i n??c -
water puppetry
See also
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References
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