Theatre set up for Quan Ho folk songs

A theatre dedicated to Quan Ho (love duets), a folk singing in northern Bac Ninh province, has been established in an effort to preserve and promote the values of the art form.
Quan Ho was recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in September 2009.
Director of the Bac Ninh provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Phong said his department will manage the theatre, whose formation was based entirely on the Quan Ho Bac Ninh troupe.
The theatre is tasked to provide performances serving local people and foreigners as well as preserve and promote the values of Quan Ho through the collection, study and training of the folk songs.
Many artists of the theatre have won prizes at national competitions. Among them, ten were conferred with the title of Meritorious Artist and one with the People’s Artist.
The love duets are an art form that combines various elements, including music, lyrics, costume, and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between the singers.
The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.
A strategy detailing a series of measures to preserve this art form from 2009 through 2015 was adopted.