Swedes kick up their heels
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Kicking back: Swedish dancers performed at Ly Thai To Garden, Ha Noi and received much attention from the capital audience. — VNS Photo Mikael Hellstrom |
HA NOI — A group of Swedish amateur dancers entertained Ha Noi locals with a street performance on Friday.
Mikael Hellstrom, leader of the Focus Travel Company, said that Ly Thai To Garden beside Hoan Kiem Lake offered the perfect venue for a cultural activity.
There, the dancers showed Swedish musical instruments and movements that caused many passers-by to stop to watch, and even join in.
They performed for an hour and introduced several styles of Swedish traditional dancing.
"We performed solo, in couples and in a big group. Thanks to the various melodies of the musical instruments, Vietnamese audiences can identify the various styles of our dancing," said Hellstrom.
"In Sweden, people in different regions dance differently. Nowadays, many of these styles are ignored and we want to help preserve them."
The group of 29 dancers and musicians visited Ha Noi for the first time as part of a trip to promote Swedish dance internationally. They considered themselves volunteer ambassadors for Swedish traditional culture, and hoped their performance would build a bridge linking their heritage with that of Viet Nam.
The following day they visited Ha Long Bay and, on October 27, they will perform again in Hoi An before moving on to Cambodia.
"The dancers were very pleased with the first performance in Ha Noi," said Hellstrom. "It was an evening of joy, the Hanoians were very welcoming."
"It was great to see that so many people seemed to be interested in the dance. A lot of people stopped to take photos."
Hellstrom said the experience exceeded their expectations and they were really grateful for people's attention.
Prior to Viet Nam the group has travelled to Mexico, the US, Australia, China and some countries in Europe. — VNS