The unique and culturally significant artistic musical dance performance “Tien Sa”, which debuted in the central coastal tourism city of Da Nang on February 14, marks an important milestone on the journey to bring high-end art closer to the public. Although it has just been released, the play has been enthusiastically praised and applauded by the general public in Da Nang. This is proof of the attraction and value that the “Tien Sa” brings. The play is not only an artistic product dedicated to the land of “Tien Sa”, but also contributes to creating an impression for the Da Nang tourism in tandem with expressing the characteristics of nature, culture, and people of this land.

The legendary love story is highlight in the musical dance show “Tien Sa”. Photo: DOAN HAO LUONG

Creating a unique mark for Da Nang

This extraordinary performance carries the audience on a 60-minute journey through nine enthralling acts, seamlessly blending contemporary dance, music, acrobatics, and storytelling: Sunrise Dance; The Girl from the Clouds; The Boy from the Green Forest; Fishing Village; Sea Storm; The Silkworm; The Fragile Celestial Silk; The Weaving Frame; Predestined Love.

This a non-verbal dance performance with a mission of conveying a storyline solely through movement and expression, thereby encapsulating the essence of Da Nang, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

With its high artistic standards and cutting-edge equipment, this carefully crafted production promises to be a captivating experience. It aims to become a beacon of attraction, drawing visitors and enhancing tourism while celebrating the unique cultural identity of Da Nang.

The “Tien Sa” is the first play to apply multi-dimensional stage technology in Da Nang. The multi-dimensional stage is staged with many layers of layout combined with lighting effects that can help create impressive visual and highly experimental effects.

In addition, throughout the performance, the actors approach the stage from many directions in the auditorium, not just appearing on the main stage, thereby interacting directly with the audience to create a close connection and bring the audience an interesting experience.

Meritorious Artist Tran Quang Hao, the Director of Da Nang-located Trung Vuong Theater, General Director of the "Tien Sa" show said: "The combination of vivid lighting, climaxing music and diverse dance forms such as contemporary dance, ballet, and skillful circus makes each scene like a vivid picture, full of emotions. The attractions of Da Nang such as the Son Tra Peninsula, the heritage banyan tree here and time-honoured coastal fishing villages, the “than mat” flowers (Millettia ichthyochtona Drake), Vietnamese Ao Dai (Traditional Dress) are almost recreated in a vivid, creative and realistic way. This application brings a sense of vast space, helping the audience to see the artistes from many angles. In particular, the show also increases the experience when the audience will be the ones to interact with the characters during and after the performance".

After enjoying the “Tien Sa”, Chairman of the Da Nang Union of Literature and Arts Associations Nguyen Nho Khiem commented: “The performance was successful in stage design, vividly recreating the Son Tra landscape with beautiful flowers, the thousand-year-old banyan tree and attractive red-shanked douc langurs living on the Son Tra Peninsula”.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao, an audience from Binh Thuan Ward, Hai Chau District also said that the storyline was built quite professionally, reasonably and attractively, especially the image of the douc langur as a delicate link between the characters, between the actors and the audience during the performance as well as after it ended. I feel very happy that Da Nang has had the first bricks in producing art shows to serve tourists. With the skillful integration of Da Nang symbols in a lively and creative way, it has highlighted the culture, land and people of Da Nang. I hope the “Tien Sa” will continue to conquer the audience and become an unforgettable mark in the hearts of tourists when coming to this beautiful coastal city”.

During the show, images of red-shanked douc langurs and the thousand-year-old banyan tree give the audience an interesting experience about the Son Tra Peninsula. Photo: DOAN HAO LUONG

Bringing “Tien Sa” to shine on stage

Outstandingly, the “Tien Sa” was created by Viet Nam’s leading team in art staging such as: choreographer Nguyen Tan Loc, screenwriter Dinh Tien Dung, Director - Meritorious Artist Tran Quang Hao, music Duc Tri, designer Cong Tri, artist Khanh Hoang and stage producer Van Tong… with more than 40 artistes performing many art forms such as contemporary dance, ballet, circus and drama.

To treat the audience with this interesting musical dance performance with high artistic value, the artistes had to go through many rounds of selection and more than 4 months of hard practice, especially in the last month before presenting the show to the public, they almost considered the stage as their home, spent much time being on duty on the practice floor.

Thanks to that, the show has achieved initial success when it successfully passed the evaluation round of the Arts Council of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the leaders of Da Nang with high evaluations of its artistic quality.

Sharing about the journey to bring the “Tien Sa” to shine on stage, director and choreographer Nguyen Tan Loc said: "When starting to produce the show, my team and I could not help but worry. This is a programme that requires a large investment in people, content, images and techniques... More importantly, I always wonder how the audience can clearly feel the land of Da Nang and the personality of the people here".

With such enthusiasm, “Tien Sa” is not simply a musical, but also a journey to discover the beauty of a coastal city rich in identity, where the past and the present, tradition and creativity intersect. Each scene, each melody, each dance step carries within it a part of the soul of Da Nang - intimacy, strength and vitality.

“This is a show that requires a lot of artistic and technical elements, with many characters in many different roles create an overall performance with tight and consistent content. Although the time appearing on stage may vary depending on the position of each character, each artiste has his own performance space and plays a certain role in the content of the show. Therefore, we have to have a separate script for each actor, even separate costumes and looks so that they are always shaped as an indispensable piece of the overall play.”, said Meritorious Artist Tran Quang Hao.

With the mission of becoming a bridge between the past and the present, the “Tien Sa” show is not only a unique cultural art product but also a special cultural tourist attraction, creating a deep impression in the hearts of domestic and foreign audiences by honouring the beauty of Da Nang's traditional culture through unique folk tales and local art types.

Reporting by DOAN HAO LUONG - Translating by ANH THU