CHÈO THEATRICAL ART AND CHÈO VILLAGES IN VIETNAM (PART 2)
Which village has contributed many artists to professional Chèo theatre companies?
Chèo artist from Khuốc village have more than once impressed Vietnamese and foreign audiences with their ardent, sweet, and moving singing. Khuốc is one of the three famous Chèo villages in
No one knows the exact origins of
Khuốc Chèo; villagers say they have performed since ancient times. At the peak
of its theatrical development, the village had eight Chèo groups. Some Khuốc
performers such as Phạm Văn Điền, Đào Thị Na, Hà Quang Bồng, and Cao Kim Trạch have
become household names.
Khuốc village supplies talented
artist to the Vietnam Chèo theatrical company as well as Chèo theatre in other
provinces. Khuốc Chèo us unique; Chèo artist from Hà Tây, Hưng Yên, Hà Nam, and
Hải Dương journey to Khuốc Village for training.
Khuốc villagers have staged many Chèo
plays they them selves wrote. One of them, the Orange Orchard (Vườn Cam, 1958)
marked the height of success for Khuốc Chèo. Other famous plays are An improved
Plough (Chiếc cày cải tiến, 1965), The homeland of Rice and Humanity (Quê lúa
tình người, 1972), the Mother’s Joy (Niềm vui của mẹ 1988) and Two Companions (Đôi
bạn đồng hành, 1990). Meanwhile, the village continues to rehearse and perform
classical plays, such as Lưu Bình and Dương Lễ, Trương Viện, and Thị Kính, the
Goddess of Mercy.
The village has many activities
to preserve its Chèo tradition, including an active Chèo club. Club members are
all ages. One member, Khoa, shone with pride, saying, “Our club wins gold medals
in all the Chèo festival and competitions we enter.”
In many families, three or even
four generations perform together. The old pass down Chèo skills to the young.
Every day, Mr. Cao Kim Trạch, age ninety-five, trains young artists how to sing
Chèo lyrics. Chèo actors as young as thirteen have won gold and silver medals
in Chèo contests.
Khuốc villagers have captures
their love for Chèo in their following song:
Having had a good meal, I lie idle
But as soon as I hear the sounds of Chèo drums,
I tap my belly and set off to watch the performance.
Turning down high-class pork pies and spring rolls,
I just want to eat simple rice and watch popular Chèo.
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