XiecLangToi

LANG TOI - My Village

An unusual circus show is touring Europe this year. Vietnamese artists who have been living and working in Europe for many years, have teamed up with performers from their home country to explore a whole new concept in circus art. The result of that co-operation is a show called Lang Toi, which means “My Village”. It introduces Vietnamese culture to audiences everywhere. Traditional bamboo is used throughout the performance as set decoration as well as for props. The artists manipulate bamboo poles up to 4.5 metres long and use the bamboo as they juggle, perform contortion, acrobatics and tumbling. These manipulations are one of the most powerful and moving things about this show, with each of the performers weaving their poles to create varied images. Traditional daily activities of village people such as manual ploughing, watering, house building, and also festive celebrations, are demonstrated by performers and musicians in farmers’ clothing. Original music, featuring various Vietnamese cultures and races, is truly the soul of the entire programme.

A project for cultural exchange

It all began in 2003 when a group of artists from Berlin travelled to Vietnam to create an album of circus music for a variety show entitled “Asia Cajun”, to be performed at the UFA Fabrik, an international cultural centre in Berlin. They visited the Vietnam National Circus School and were warmly welcomed by the principal of the school, the teachers and the students, and soon the idea of an exchange programme and collaboration was born.

Two of the members of the UFA group, Tuan Le, who at the age of 26 could already look back on a successful international career in the art of juggling, and Nhat Ly, president of the association Art Ensemble presented the project to Nguyen Lan “Maurice”, professor of circus arts in France and founder of the Cherche Trouve curriculum, which utilises a learn to play and play to learn method of teaching to develop creativity. Together they developed the idea for a new type of circus using culturally relevant materials, including traditional wind instruments and old folk games. Delphine, a French lighting designer who shared the philosophy and vision of Art Ensemble, agreed to participate in this project on a voluntary basis. In 2005 the Association Française d’Action Artistique (AFAA) agreed to provide funds for their flights to Hanoi plus 2,500 euros, and that is where the journey of Lang Toi began.

In August 2005, the Vietnam Circus Federation agreed to invest in the project so that the Art Ensemble group of overseas Vietnamese artists would be able to present the premiere of this pioneering new circus. The programme was put together in just three weeks, during which Art Ensemble worked intensively with more than 80 artists and directors from the Vietnamese Circus Federation and some musicians from the Vietnam Theatre who could play the traditional wind instruments.

A new artistic working environment was created in which each artist took part in this unique journey of creative research, sharing his or her own ideas with other colleagues, a method completely fresh and new to the Vietnamese circus artists at the time. Nguyen Lan “Maurice” introduced the creative learning approach. The artists were given the freedom to discover their own ideas and develop them using the intellect of the entire team. With his guidance the artists were able to use their imagination to explore themes and ideas without limitations.

Tuan Le directed the performance with his visions for a new circus. Nhat Ly worked with the musicians to create original music for the show. Tan Loc from Ho Chi Minh City choreographed the dance component. Delphine designed the lighting. While the large number of participating artists in the project was advantageous for sharing ideas and creative methods, it was a drawback when it came to organising commercial performances of the programme. Although Lang Toi was well reviewed by professionals and cultural leaders, it was performed only six times during Vietnamese Circus Week in Hanoi.

From a cultural experiment to an international touring show

Facing financial constraints for the project, the future was unclear. But Jean Luc Larguier, president of the Scènes de la Terre cultural association from France, recognised the commercial potential of Lang Toi. He arranged for Lan Maurice, Tuan Le and Nhat Ly to present Lang Toi to project directors of French national theatres to persuade them to book the show.

The Quai Branly Museum agreed to back the future of this Franco-Vietnamese project. In February 2009, Scènes de la Terre and Interarts in association with Quai Branly Museum announced that they were funding the production and its exclusive international debut at the museum’s theatre in Paris. Thanks to Quai Branly’s connections with other theatres, the show will be travelling throughout Europe for the next three years. Tuan Le, Lan Maurice and Nhat Ly had many discussions concerning what direction the show should take. It was decided that the touring version would involve only 14 circus performers from the Vietnam Circus Federation. And account had to be taken of the fact that, under Vietnamese laws governing cultural activities, the show had to be endorsed by Vietnam cultural leaders prior to public presentations.

The idea and decision to use bamboo as the main prop in Lang Toi was introduced by Lan Maurice and Tuan Le, which led to the making and use of detailed scale models. In August 2008 they began to develop their ideas with 30 performers using the small home-built bamboo models. Later they practised the routines using real bamboo poles. Under the instruction of Lan Maurice, nine presentations were created using three groups of 10 performers each. In early September, the difficult task was undertaken to select 14 of the 30 performers for the final cast of the show. While teacher Lan Maurice laid the foundations for the show in August, in September director Tuan Le finished developing the show with choreographer Tan Loc and with musical direction by Nhat Ly.

On May 5, 2009 Lang Toi was presented for the first time in front of an audience in Vietnam at the Hanoi Opera House with the support of the Embassy of France and the French cultural centre l’Espace in Hanoi. The show was acclaimed as a triumph and a fitting homage to Vietnamese culture and art. Finally in June 2009 the tour of Europe started in Paris, and will visit various French cities, in November it will be shown in Madrid, in 2010 in Asia and Europe.

Tuan Le’s devotion to young Vietnamese artists is only just beginning. After directing Lang Toi, he aims to continue developing the abilities and creativity of Vietnamese circus and its artists, and to promote cultural understanding for his native country throughout the world. This is his life, his art, and his career. Lang Toi is a profound expression of Tuan Le’s philosophy of life.