What is water puppet Hanoi?
Water puppetry (Vietnamese: Múa rối nước, lit. “Making puppets dance on water”) is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Today’s Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the ancient Asian puppet tradition.
What are Vietnamese water puppets?
Water puppetry is a tradition that dates back to the 11th century in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. The tradition began when the rice fields flooded with water and villagers would build elaborate wooden puppets held up by a long bamboo sticks.
How does Vietnamese water puppets work?
Water puppetry is performed in a chest-deep pool of water, with the water’s surface as a stage. The puppeteers stand behind a screen and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden beneath the water surface. The puppet is carved out of wood and often weighs up to 15 kg.
Is Water Puppetry a court tradition?
Similarly, several literary works by Phan Truong Nguyen (12th century) and others by King Tran Thai Tong (1225-1258) appear to confirm that water puppetry was a courtly entertainment during the reigns of the Ly and Tran dynasties.
What are the main themes of the water puppet shows?
The theme and setting of these water puppet shows are usually rural with a strong reference to Vietnamese folklore. Scenes of everyday life such as the harvest, fishing and festivals are regular themes as well as famous legends or myths.
What do water puppets symbolize?
Through scenes depicting heroism, courage, perseverance, and others, Vietnamese Water Puppet Theatre serves as a tool for fostering nationalism, creating and solidifying a cultural identity, and serving as a reminder to the Vietnamese of their agrarian past.
What does water puppetry symbolize?
Are water puppets still used today?
Water puppets survive only in Vietnam. Presentations are given by professional puppeteers (Vietnam National Puppetry Theatre, Nhà Hát Múa Rối Quốc Gia Việt Nam, and Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, Nhà Hát Múa Rối Thăng Long) based in Hanoi, who tour internationally.
What is puppet in dance?
If dance, operating as a codified technique different from everyday gestures (even when these gestures are transferred to the stage), is defined as an art which “remakes” a body into something other than the “actual body”, then the puppet, a key figure of an unnatural materiality and mechanical nature, may then be …
What is the significance of water puppetry?
Water puppetry arose in the Red River delta and other rice-growing regions of northern Việt Nam a thousand years ago, during the Lý dynasty. Villagers staged water puppet performances to celebrate the end of the rice harvest, at religious festivals, and simply for entertainment.
Where to see water puppet shows in Hanoi?
Located on the Dinh Tien Hoang Street, the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre lies in the center of Hanoi. This place attracts hundreds of international tourists each month, so the theatre is also visited by a huge number of audiences. Travelers often combine sightseeing at Hoan Kiem Lake with watching water puppet shows at the theatre.
What is water puppetry and why is it so popular in Vietnam?
Water puppetry – known in Vietnam as Múa rối nước, meaning ‘making puppets dance on water’ – is a Vietnamese tradition steeped in history, folklore and mystery. To this day, when visitors to Hanoi flock to the main theatre to experience the unusual art, it isn’t known how the little figures are mastered so seamlessly by hidden puppeteers.
What is Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre?
It’s another night in Hanoi’s Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, and it’s as weird and wonderful as it sounds. Water puppetry – known in Vietnam as Múa rối nước, meaning ‘making puppets dance on water’ – is a Vietnamese tradition steeped in history, folklore and mystery.
When did the water puppet show start in the theatre?
Although having been opened for a long time, it was not until 1990 that the theatre started to build its water stage for the water puppet show. At that time, the theatre had been through many hardships due to the consequences of the war.