Interviewing director Tan Loc - the creator of The Mist
Tan Loc Nguyen is well-known as the creator of the annual International Contemporary Dance Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, with a participation of more than 30 dancers and choreographers in the world. He also created several stunning spectacles "Story of the shoes", "Moc", "Tick tack", "The Mist", "Straw"; being choreographer for “A O Show”, in which brought a fresh air to the contemporary dance.
In 2015, Tan Loc was invited by Cirque Du Soleil as a choreographer for the show “Toruk the first flight”, also being an advisor for "The Ballerina" performing at Saigon Opera House in September.
Q: It has been stated that making dance show will be lost, so for "The Ballerina", a tribute to the meritorious dancer To Nhu Ngo Thuy, looks like you and the Arabesque have made a big deal?
A: It’s true that Arabesque makes a big deal. With a massive investment for it, even though those 2 shows have been sold out, we still lost. Besides, in the time that game show and reality show dominate, it’s really “expensive” for audience to pay for a dance show. But we still do and we do big, to satisfy the “thirst of art”. We are not afraid of selling not enough but audience have no chance to experience it.
Q: You have said that gameshow and reality show influence audience recently. So how might it affect dancing?A: Not only dancing but also it affect other art fields. Remembering the good old times,
A: Not only dancing but also it affect other art fields. Remembering the good old times, audience were so excited to see Charming Vietnam, or even dramas. But for now, they watch TV, for free. There were a lot of opera, orchestra, ballet on TV, but now whenever you turn TV on, you see gameshow. I think it’s a way for artists to connect with audience, but it has two side effects when they misunderstand that game show is art. It’s really not.
Q: So what is it?
A: It’s entertainment. We do need entertainment in our life, but we have to differentiate it from art. Art change our life, our mindset; we just don’t watch it once.
Q: As a creator of International Contemporary Dance Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, also choreographer of "Tick tack", "The Mist", "Straw", “A O Show”, do you think that contemporary dance in Vietnam already has its target audience?
A: It does have, but a few. Take an example, during Hue Festival, people usually go to the contemporary shows because they’re free. It not only happens in Vietnam. Coming back from the Contemporary Dance Festival in Korea, I and my colleagues have to agree that it’s not a fruitful market. In Vietnam, it’s young and fresh, even dancers still find it difficult to express themselves. Therefore, with “The Ballerina”, we have to do it our best, even we lost, but doing is much better than nothing.
Q: But there’s no assurance of doing it, to get support from audience, right?
A: We don’t do it just for affirmation. We think it’s right and we do it. Being an artist, we always have people who support or not. There are no right or wrong, it depends on different perspectives. Our job is try as hard as possible to reach our target audience.
Q: But in real life, we cannot life just based on passion, right?
A: Of course, it's really difficult. Dancing is a job that not only for one person but for a team. From director, choreographer, dancer to costume designer or backstage staff. Some people have to quit because of financial issues.
Q: What do you think about the level of dancers in Vietnam?
A: They're talented and potential, but when they think they're good enough, they stop to learn. Being a good dancer not only depends on how talented you are, but how hard you train and learn. If you only are based on your talent, you only are a great graduate. Being a good dancer, you have to work, to learn, practice and devote for the career. For me, it's really a long journey.
Q: Do you have any advice or solution for this issue in Vietnam?
A: For me, I will try my best in my community to support. It’s not easy to find a solution for a macro field. Q: Thank you!
Q: Thank you!
Source: cstc.cand.com.vn
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Shows by city
A O Show
A vivid portrait of Vietnam in urbanization time, painted with unique stage visuals and a touch of humor.
The name ‘A O’ derives from ‘Lang Pho’, which means ‘village and city’. The show depicts the charming beauty and cultural richness of Vietnamese life in the countryside, in contrast with the nation’s racing urbanization. The show is a unique mix of bamboo circus, acrobatic acts, dance, and theatrical visual art. The live music echoes Vietnamese Southern work songs. All in all, this beautiful blend of genres creates a unique stage language, which well captures the essence of Vietnam’s fascinating culture.
Teh Dar
Embodiment of vigorous Vietnamese tribes culture thru cirque, dance, music from tribal instruments.
Teh Dar invites audience on a venture into the enchanting world of Vietnamese highlanders. Wild animal hunts, moonlit romance, jungle's tales of death and reincarnation, are all recreated with stunning Vietnamese Bamboo Circus, daring acrobatics, and hypnotizing melody from exotic tribal instruments certified cultural heritage by UNESCO. Meaning ‘going in circle’ in the highland tribe K'ho's tongue, Teh Dar embrace and preserve beautiful and diverse Vietnamese tribal cultures. As the artists keep inspiring, the circle of tribal life keeps going, the cultures shall remain.
Lang Toi - My Village
The poetic beauty of Vietnamese village life, recreated using iconic bamboo, breathtaking cirque and exotic live music.
Lang Toi (My Village) is a delicate merge of tradition and innovation, where poetic beauty of Northern Vietnam’s village life is presented under Vietnamese Bamboo Circus approach. Farming, building activities, traditional games, lifestyle of Northern villagers are recreated by ancestral bamboo props, breath-taking circus and acrobatics, rhythmic dance, to distinct folk music from more than 20 musical instruments.
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