ENTERTAINING THE KIDS: Artists from the Việt Nam Circus Federation are working to offer a long-term project of Vietnamese circus for kindergarten and primary school children this year. Photo courtesy of the Việt Nam Circus Federation.

The Việt Nam Circus Federation is working with art troupes to offer a new long-term programme of Vietnamese circus for kindergarten and primary school children this year.

The programme is scheduled to begin in March and is aimed at developing a national circus and bringing the art back to students and young people.

It will attract veteran and young performers from leading circus troupes, including private theatres such as the Fishermen Show Theatre in Bình Thuận Province, the Phương Nam Theatre and the Rồng Vàng Puppet Troupe in HCM City.

The programme will open with two shows called Cây Gậy Thần (The Magic Baton) and Thượng Thiên Thánh Mẫu (The Heavenly Mother).

The two shows are part of a project entitled “Vietnamese Legend” which was launched recently by the federation and its new partner, the Việt Nam Cải Lương (reformed opera) Theatre in Hà Nội.

The project introduces the nation’s traditional cultural values to young people. It encourages circus artists to use innovative elements to meet the needs of audiences.

Both Cây Gậy Thần and Thượng Thiên Thánh Mẫu combine circus performing and music, and cải lương - a symbolic form of Vietnamese theatre that originated and expanded in the Mekong River Delta provinces.

“We have studied audience tastes and trends among young people to make a suitable script for our performance before creating a circus act,” said People’s Artist Tống Toàn Thắng, director of the Việt Nam Circus Federation. “Thanks to our efforts, the new performances have been a hit.”

YOUNG TALENT: Circus artist Chu Khánh Huyền of Hà Nội performs her act at home and abroad. Photo courtesy of the Việt Nam Circus Federation.

Circus artists earned several top awards at international circus festivals and contests last year.

Duo Phạm Thị Hướng and Trương Hồng Thúy of Hà Nội won the Gold Award at the 2022 International Circus Festival in Saratov, Russia, for their performance called "Red Swing". The two actresses performed at an international circus show in Spain last year.

Acrobats Giang Quốc Cơ and Giang Quốc Nghiệp of HCM City, internationally known as the "Giang brothers", made a world record in their last international performance in a Guinness World Record show in Milan, Italy on February 3.

The Giang brothers received an invitation from the Banijay Italy Group to set the record.

They did a balancing act on a 50cm-wide and 2m-high stair. Nghiệp balanced vertically atop his brother's head while Cơ climbed 10 steps, went across 10m and went down 10 steps in 1min 55sec. — VNS