vietnamese water puppetry william wesler

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Then comes a series of scenesįrom village life, short excerpts from historical chronicles or Sometimes noting his heavenly origin and repeating local gossip. Pan-Southeast Asian god-clown figure, chatters with the musicians, Gathered in the childish hairstyle of two ponytails, one sproutingįrom each side of his head. The first puppet to appear is Chu Teu, the clown, his hair Playing area with flags of five colors that suddenly appear from

After the musical overture, a burst ofįirecrackers initiates a promenade that marks the perimeter of the Repertoire and cheo, the popular song theatre of the (mo), clappers (phach), and a gong (thanh la),Īll accompanying the singer who chooses lyrics from the folk (sao, tieu), drums (trong cai), a wooden bell Instrument (dan nhi), a lute (dan nguyet), flutes The performance starts with a musical prelude by an orchestraĬonsisting of a zither (dan tranh), a bowed string House, emerging magically from the murky water at the precise site Pole-manipulated figures are more flexible andĬan pop from under the surface at any spot in front of the stage Performers: the 'door of life' on the east from which track puppetsĮnter and the 'door of death' on the west to which they will return Two doorwaysĪre visible on each side of the scene house which hides the Perimeter of the four-meter-square performing area. Long poles or by string mechanisms that move on a track around the They can both float on the surface and be deftly manipulated by Theįigures are carefully ballasted and fitted with movable parts, so The carved, brightly paintedĪnd lacquered puppets measure from one to three feet in height. Similar: behind a scrim decorated to resemble a temple facade,Įight or more puppeteers in water up to their chests manipulate theĭozens of figures involved in a show. In each instance, the masking of performers is Performance or in specialized buildings where a pool stage hasīeen constructed.

#Vietnamese water puppetry william wesler portable

Temple in an outdoor portable tank built for a traveling Temporary staging area has been installed, often facing the local Venues: on traditional ponds in villages where a permanent or Puppet Theatre and the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi inĬontemporary Vietnamese water puppetry takes place in three Research in 19 and reflect the practice of the Central My observations for this article rely on my Hong (1985), Nguyen Huy Hong and Tran Trung Chinh ( 1996),Īnd Jones (1996). Vietnamese water puppetry is young and the major sources inĮuropean languages are the works of Tran Van Khe (1984), Nguyen Huy

#Vietnamese water puppetry william wesler professional

The art is more commonly seen today in daily performancesīy professional urban troupes in Hanoi or Saigon. Margo Jones (1996:258-63) noted 28 guilds, of which 8 were active An attempt to make a comprehensive listing of guilds by Phuong, found in nine provinces in the north area of Water.' Water puppetry was an art of performing guilds, called Mua roi nuoc literally means 'puppets that dance on Iconic representation for national and international audiences of Local, seasonal performance in the Red River delta, to become an Unique form of puppetry has expanded in the last 25 years from a Indicate some of the larger issues of this metonymy of art. Theory, I hope this case study of Vietnamese water puppets will I will not in this short report attempt to present a comprehensive Raised from ordinary entertainment to a more rarified sphere? While Genres that, via governmental or circumstantial election, seem Metaphorically to represent an entire nation? How do we approach How is it that the art of a limited and specific group comes In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: