On the edge: Artist Dao Anh Khanh (left behind) and other performers rehearse for the Cover-Breath arts show, which will be staged tomorrow night.

HA NOI — Visual artist Dao Anh Khanh will host his annual performance art programme Dao Xuan (Spring Arrival) in Ha Noi tomorrow.

Considered a "trademark" series which consistently receives rave reviews, this year's Spring Arrival, entitled Vo-Tho (Cover-Breath), will impress audiences with multimedia and dance performances.

According to the artist, who is also the choreographer, the three-hour show will take place on six outdoor stages within his studio at No 7 Lane 462, Ngoc Thuy Ward, Long Bien District.

The first part, Cover, which the artist says is about the sham and bottomless cupidity of many people in modern society, will be presented by pantomime artist Dang Trung and seven dancers.

Trung, a graduate of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague who now works as a businessman, will express mankind's endless ambition through a ladder, while the body-painted dancers will be covered by nylon strips. The highlight of the show will be the moment when the performers tear off their outer coverage to be free.

"The performance conveys the message that people should escape from their sham appearance to be better, heading toward the values of ‘the True, the Good and the Beautiful'," said Khanh.

The second part, Breath, is dedicated to the issue of environmental pollution caused by development. "Somehow, the fresh air in developing cities is becoming a luxury as the city becomes overloaded due to the lack of co-ordinated planning and uncontrolled migration," Khanh said.

Fifty Harley Davidson motorcycles from the Ha Noi Harley Davidson Club will be among the "ingredients" of the second part, he said. They will not only add a visual element as installations, the motorbike drivers will interact with performers by contributing the sound created by their motorcycles. "They will perform for five minutes with the sound from their bikes," Khanh said.

The show will also feature appearances from contemporary music pioneers Tri Minh, Vu Nhat Tan, Ngoc Dai, Pham Quang and Tran Minh.

The performance will begin at 7.30pm tomorrow. All the proceeds will be donated to needy children in Bac Quang District in the northern mountain province of Ha Giang, the country's poorest area. — VNS