Chu Luong, Vice-Director of Thang Long Water Puppetry Theater and an experienced puppet designer, said that it is the best material for making the puppets. The puppet’s designs are strongly influenced by Vietnamese temple art, so they are carved and colored with the same aesthetic features characteristics of the characterized for statues of human and mascots in Buddhist temples.Īll puppets are made of fig wood. They can also be dancers performing trance rituals with candles in their hands, hoping for the Mother Goddess to dispel the darkness and enlighten people’s minds. Since its traditional content revolves around the daily life of Vietnamese farmers and popular spiritual elements, the characters can be a cheerful husband and wife trying to protect their ducks from a cunning fox, or 2 dragons playing ball, spouting fire and water. They also feature common aspects of Vietnamese spiritual life, for example, illustrating the trance ritual, the dances of the dragon, lion, phoenix, and the fairy.”įairy's dance (Photo by: thanglongwaterpuppet) They focus on the daily life of farmers, as they work in the paddy fields, herd ducks, catch frogs, and race boats. “Water puppet plays avoid complicated themes and emotions. Nguyen Hoang Tuan, Director of Thang Long Water Puppetry Theater, said the themes of the show are simple and familiar to Vietnamese people. Vietnamese water puppetry's stage (Photo: hanoicitybreaks)Ī Vietnamese water puppetry show means puppets performing on a shimmering water stage accompanied by music and singing.įrom the beginning to the end, audiences can only see the puppets and a small folk orchestra that performs live, not the puppeteers stand behind a curtained backdrop in a waist-deep pool. A guide book says “Not watching a performance of water puppetry means not visiting Vietnam yet.” Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique folk art, believed to be more than 1000 years old.
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