Bai Bong singing and dancing in Phu Nhieu village

      Bai Bong singing and dancing appeared in Phu Nhieu Village, Quang Trung Commune of Phu Xuyen District in Hanoi over a century ago and is usually organised on the occasion of great festivals, such as worshipping, rituals and holidays.
Although no musical instrument is used, the dance performed by Phu Nhieu villagers is rhythmical and harmonious with their singing. Each genre of singing is accompanied by a specific dance.
A unique form of performance
We visited Luong Duc Nghi (photo), an elder folk artisan in Phu Nhieu Village . Now over 80 years old he had white hair and beard, but his eyes are still keen, which enables him to maintain the hobby of reading books and researching the Bai Bong singing and dancing art.
On the wall of his flat-roofed house there is a certificate acknowledging his title “Folk Artisan” granted by the Vietnam Folk Arts Association. This is a noble prize for his life-time efforts to preserve the unique form of folk performance.
Luong Duc Nghi was born and grew up in the flooded rice area of Phu Nhieu and his blood seemed to be imbued with Bai Bong singing and dancing.
He said: “I have sought and collected each Bai Bong lyric and dance from old people in the village who usually participated in the activities at the communal house during festive days. Whenever they remembered a song or dance, I wrote down the lyrics and at night I compiled the information and wrote everything in my notebook”.
He started to collect Bai Bong songs and dances in 1954 and so far has collected nearly 200 songs. His greatest wish is to establish a Bai Bong singing and dancing club of Phu Nhieu Village to preserve and bequeath the art to younger generations.
Bai Bong songs praise people’s daily activities in rural areas, love for the homeland and native places and conjugal love.
The melody of the songs is a combination of folk tunes while the dance is a combination of the folk and royal dancing arts.
Bai Bong singing and dancing is a fairly complicated form of performance. It requires a harmonious connection between singing and dancing while no musical instrument is used. Performers must practice constantly to maintain the rhythm of the song and stay limber.
Training young people
With assistance from the communal authorities and funds from the Centre for Educational Exchange with Vietnam, a non-governmental organization in the United States, in 1997, Bai Bong Singing and Dancing Club of Phu Nhieu Village was officially established.
The club started operation after Luong Duc Nghi had invited another elder, Nguyen Thi Ga, the last woman in the village who could perform Bai bong singing and dancing, to teach the art to members of the club at the communal house. Astonishingly, at an old age, her voice was still clear and velvety.
The enthusiasm and passion of Nghi and Ga have inspired and attracted an increasing number of young people to register to learn Bai Bong singing and dancing.
Luong Duc Nghi said: “Now the number of members of the club is over 100. They are of different ages. In some cases, two or three generations of the same family participate in the club. All of them are interested in singing and dancing and wish to maintain the regular activities of the club, creating a useful and significant cultural playground”.
Being in operation for over 10 years, many members of Bai Bong Singing and Dancing Club of Phu Nhieu Village, such as Nguyen Van Gang and Nguyen Thi Ga have been awarded certificates of merits and “People’s Artist” titles, by the Vietnam Folk Arts Association.
Notably, in 2007 the club won a Prize A at the National Folk Festival and in early 2008 it was invited to perform at the Thang Long-Hanoi Traditional Dancing Festival.
In recent years, the club has regularly opened training courses to improve the skills of its members, helping to maintain and develop a unique form of performance in the Vietnamese folklore treasure.