HCM CITY (VNS)— Four cultural and performing art experts from Center Stage, a cultural exchange of the US Department of State that brings foreign performing artists to American stages, are visiting Viet Nam to find candidates for its 2014 programme.

The experts are Rebecca Blunk, executive director of the New England Foundation for the Arts, Lisa Booth, president of Lisa Booth Management, Inc., Rachel Cooper, director of Global Performing Arts and Special Initiatives of Asia Society, and Martin Wollesen, director of University Events Office and artistic director of Art Power at UC San Diego.

During the eight-day visit that began on Thursday, the group will view Vietnamese performing art ensembles in HCM City and Ha Noi that will be nominated to enter Center Stage programme.

The programme will send from six to eight ensembles from Pakistan, Morocco and Viet Nam that specialise in music, dance and puppetry to tour in the US between June and December in 2014.

Each ensemble will have a month-long tour to five or six communities. Tour itineraries will include performances, exchange activities with American artists, presenters, students and communities.

Booth said they had sent a worldwide call for the programme last November and received only 12 submissions from Viet Nam, fewer than other countries.

She added that the visit helped them know more about the country's performing art groups apart from the 12 current nominations.

In HCM City, they have seen performances of the contemporary music band Mat Troi Do (Red Sun), rock band White Noize, classic guitar duo Nguyen Thanh Huy and Huynh Ba Tho, and contemporary dance troupe Arabesque.

The name of the selected ensembles will be announced in April. — VNS