Viet Nam News
By Bich Huong
Some Vietnamese artists have suggested adding traditional theatre arts into the curriculum of Viet Nam’s general education from primary school to high school as a compulsory subject after seeing public, particularly young people, losing interest in the theatrical art forms.
The early teaching and learning about traditional theatre arts is expected to help inspire and nurture students’ understanding and love for the arts. It is hoped when they grow up, they can enjoy the traditional theatrical arts that rooted centuries ago in the country.
Viet Nam’s traditional performing arts are very diverse, varying from region to region. Some of the most widely known genres of singing include ca tru, cai luong, chau van, cheo, quan ho or tuong.
Stage director Dao Quang from the northern province of Nam Dinh said that teaching traditional theatrical arts in schools was a necessary move to preserve and promote them in this modern life.
In 2001, the Performing Arts Department under Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Centre for Research, Conservation and Development of National Culture launched a project introducing theatrical arts to schools nationwide.
Until 2010, the project reached 32 provinces and cities nationwide. There was one or two schools in each locality and normally, about 20-30 students per school joined the project activities such as learning from artisans and performing some pieces.
It takes at least four or five years for a starter to master and perform skillfully a piece of traditional theatrical art. So, three months for a training course at school is surely not enough for students to properly know about the art.
Stage director Quang said the project was meaningful but generated modest impacts. He called on drastic moves including making traditional theatrical arts a compulsory subject at school.
However, painter and culture researcher Nguyen Duc Binh expressed concerns about the suggestion, saying that once they have to learn traditional theatre arts at schools, kids would be afraid of the art.
He emphasised that more importantly, to give kids chances to access, to “be exposed” to truly traditional theatrical arts and then, they would find the beauty, the attraction of the arts.
“Those who have ability and passion for the arts will pursue them. Others without endowed ability will become wise audience,” Binh said.
“When it comes to traditional arts, you can not force someone to love it,” he said, adding that when people saw it and found it interesting, they would like it and possibly voluntarily “fall in love” with it.
Nguyen Hong Hanh, a mother of first grader in Ha Noi said she did not think it was a good idea to add traditional theatrical arts into compulsory curriculum.
“It sounds unreasonable to add many things in the school curriculum just because someone thinks they are necessary or good for the kids or something else,” she said.
Tuong, cheo or quan ho singing should be introduced to extra curriculum or optional school activities, Hanh said.
"Objectively speaking, people nowadays are far away from traditional arts not because they did not like them but because they had fewer chances to access them," Hanh said.
“As a mother, I really want my children get to know about national traditional cultural values. It’ s great if they can sing folk songs, play folk games, see traditional performing arts,” Hanh said, adding that today, children are exposed too much to imported cultural products like films, music and especially pinned too much to TV, mobile phones and technological devices.
I totally agree with researcher Nguyen Duc Binh that we should not and could not force some one to love arts in general and traditional theatrical arts in particular.
My teacher told me that a characteristic of aesthetic education is voluntariness and must not be any imposition.
It’s good to help young students learn about traditional values including traditional theatrical arts because it surely helps nurture their love for the arts but why at school?
Out-of-school environment could offer lessons well or even better. I myself think it will be a great experience if I see a tuong/cheo performance, finding it interesting and then, get to know about it without any school pressures of scores or deadline.
In order to make traditional theatrical arts alive in modern life and have their audience, a key measure is to offer works that meet specific tastes of target audiences. — VNS