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Vietnamese audiences will be introduced to a new cultural phenomena known as "blog opera" when it makes its debut in Hanoi next year.
The new art form incorporates classical elements of the opera, like singing and dancing, but its subject matter and performance style are what give it a unique edge. The content is suggested by bloggers, a word used to describe writers who write on a variety of topics on the internet on their blogs. The project is a joint venture between the VietnamOrchestra and Ballet (VNOB) and the Sweden Norrlands Opera. The coming together of the two groups was made possible under the VietnamCulture Sustainable Development Assistance project, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
"The opera's script is based on ideas of bloggers, who submitted their stories for a writing contest conducted by the project," said the director of the VNOB, Meritorious Artist Pham Anh Phuong when explaining the meaning of blog opera.
"Although this is not a new phenomena in Sweden as the Norrlands Opera has conducted several blog operas, it will certainly be the first of its kind in Vietnam. We hope that the Vietnamese audience will welcome this new art form," Phuong said.
Unlike the classical opera, blog opera will rely on popular melodies in the performance of Giac Mo va Hien Thuc (Dream and Reality). This, organisers hope, will attract a younger more "hip" audience. "This contemporary opera is by young people and for young people. We believe youngsters will be fascinated by this new art form."
To find the script for the first performance of the blog opera, organisers launched a writing contest online on the theme of Dream and Reality. The contest closed on July 1, and organisers are sifting through more than 200 brief articles on topics as varied as issues of daily modern life to individuals' desires and ambitions. "We will select the three best articles to adapt to the stage. The blog opera will include three short dramas on a common theme," Phuong said.
Once the winners are announced, the script will be written by script writer Nguyen Thi Thu Hue. "The first prize of VND5 million will be awarded to the best article while two VND4 million prizes will be awarded to the second place and three VND3 million prizes will be given to the third place."
Most of the performers for Dream and Reality will come from the VNOB, while the director and choreographer will be from the Norrlands Opera. The VNOB and the Norrlands Opera have developed a good synergy, having worked together in the ballet Chim Lua (Fire Bird) and the Cosi Fan Tutte (School of Love) in 2006 in Viet Nam.
The opera will be staged in May next year on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between Vietnam and Sweden.
July 23, 2008
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