By Lê Hương *

Fun, vivid and energetic are just a few ways of describing jazz theatre classes.

Theatre Dance Vietnam has been a popular destination for dozens of Vietnamese and foreigners, who dance in the background of jazz music in style taken straight from Broadway.

The school was co-founded by An Hoàng Khánh Linh (more commonly known as Linh An), who learned theatre jazz, tap, ballet and street dance at the Broadway Dance Centre in New York.

Visiting the class in the evening, one can see dancers from all over the world learning jazz moves.

Each of them has a reason to join the classes.

“When I came to Việt Nam, I was looking for a dance class and I found this class on Facebook,” Miho Funaki, from Japan, who is working as a sales officer at a company in Hà Nội, told Việt Nam News.

“I really love to dance. But before when I was in Japan, I only had experience of crescent ballet and Hawaiian hula. So jazz dance is very fast for me. But it makes me relax and is refreshing away from my work. That's so energetic and so powerful and so fun,’’ she added.

Teacher An Hoàng Khánh Linh (first row) and her students in a lesson. VNS Photo Lê Hương

Sarah Matthews, a singer from the US admitted the dances help move her moods.

“There are days where if you've been sitting for a while and you're feeling low energy or tired,” she said with an enthusiastic smile.

“But I always know if I get myself to class, that I'm going to feel energised. I leave with more energy, more enthusiasm and more passion in myself after I've come here. So I feel that this class is a way to really kind of keep our spirits going. It is good exercise for the body and it's good for the soul.”

Vũ Linh, a video editor said: “It’s fun, charming and so crazy.”

An Hoàng Khánh Linh always choreographs movements according to the meanings of the lyrics. Photo courtesy of Linh

He said he had not learned any kind of dancing art until he found Linh An, who was one of a rare number of artists who studied the art form in New York.

“This made me curious.This is not a popular type of art in Việt Nam. I like it and wanted to try it,” he said.

Linh found the dance form suited him and after a year and a half of study, when he moved from a class for beginners to tackle more challenging movements.

According to Chu Thu Thảo, another student at the school, theatre dance and jazz is a fusion of classical music materials, which have been used in animated films and classical films.

“I'm always excited when listening to that type of music,” she said. “When I learn movements and dance I can escape from the normal hustle and bustle. I can just live in my art world.”

Teacher Linh choreographs dances based on the meaning of the lyrics.

The class members dance in the background of the Vietnamese song Đưa Cơm Cho Mẹ Đi Cày. Photo courtesy of An Hoàng Khánh Linh

She blends dancing techniques with her feelings.

“Theatre jazz requires a lot of technique, it is quirky and sophisticated,” choreographer An Hoàng Khánh Linh said.

“Technique here means ballet technique. It also requires diverse experience in other dance styles.

"When you do theatre jazz, it tells more of a story. And the more styles you have, the obviously, the more creative the piece looks,” she added.

She often teaches techniques for half of the class, while the rest will be there to work on the choreographed routines.

Jazz blends with Vietnamese culture. Photo courtesy of An Hoàng Khánh Linh

Sometimes Linh blends the art with Vietnamese music and also choreographs movements according to the content of those songs.

The Vietnamese song Đưa Cơm Cho Mẹ Đi Cày (Bringing Lunch to Mom in the Field) proved to be a perfect choice for such a blend.

“I think the name Theatre Dance Vietnam is the reason why I have always wanted to mix the art of theatre jazz with my culture,” Linh said. “I think that’s very natural and Vietnamese music is beautiful.”

This type of dance has also inspired her followers.

“I love learning about Vietnamese, said Sarah. “When we are doing Vietnamese jazzy songs or we do other songs with special meanings and as we are doing the choreography, I’m actually able to learn also about Vietnamese and the meaning of the songs. We do the choreography movement and sometimes the songs are really quite emotional about planting rice and things that are important to Vietnamese culture.”

Student Thảo revealed that the Vietnamese song, the lyrics and the melodies were familiar to her, reminding her of her childhood.

“It’s touching,” she said. “When I dance to that music, sometimes I want to cry. The music seems to absorb in each movement I make. It’s interesting.”

The jazz theatre community is growing in popularity. Photo courtesy of An Hoàng Khánh Linh

“I do see that musical dance is very much in development, especially in Vietnamese high schools or international high schools here,” she said. “With the growing community of musical lovers in Việt Nam right now, I think here jazz would be something that people would like to learn and to be able to choreograph something that is very Broadway.”

Sarah loves the community very much.

“It's such a beautiful community as we dance together and we lift each other up and I think a lot of times we come in here, no matter what kind of day we've had, when we walk away, we're hugging, we're smiling, we're full of adrenaline,” she said. “It's a beautiful experience.”

If you are curious about the art, go to join them. Make all the right moves for a great night out! VNS

* (with an additional interview by Quỳnh Anh)