Vietnam water puppets theater revived
HANOI - A grinning tiger splashes through the water, grabs a duck from a helpless farmer
and races up a palm tree 20 feet away, its prey dangling from its mouth.
The audience roars at the antics — controlled by puppeteers standing thigh-deep in water behind a
bamboo screen. Long underwater poles and ropes transmit the complex motions to the colorful
hand-carved puppets — including dancing maidens, smoke-belching dragons and fish that pull lazy
fishermen into the deep.
Vietnam's unique water puppets have been portraying the foibles of rural life for nearly 1,000 years. They
are among many traditional Vietnamese performing arts that nearly faded away during decades of war
and communist revolution, but have now found new audiences.
About a dozen water puppet troupes are currently performing, mostly in villages in northern Vietnam's Red
River Delta. Most of the puppeteers are farmers who devote long hours to practice but perform for free.
``I inherited this art from my ancestors, and I want to pass it on as an inheritance to future generations,''
said Nguyen Xuan Thu, a member of a troupe in Nguyen Xa village in northern Thai Binh province.
Water puppet shows originally were performed in rice paddies or ponds when farm work allowed, either
after spring planting or harvesting.
The performances — often introduced by a smiling country bumpkin named Teu — intersperse vignettes
of life in a farming village with legends about Vietnam's creation, magical turtles and brave kings. In
many, the humans are outfoxed by nature, to the delight of generations of rural Vietnamese.
The water serves as not only the stage but also a character in the stories, portraying the tranquil ripples of
a duck pond as well as the violent waves of an ocean battle.
Thu's troupe has a repertoire of 40-50 vignettes, with some favorites repeated year after year, while others
are added each year for variety.
Many involve complex motions — all controlled underwater — of the brightly painted puppets, which range
up to about two feet in height. Some weigh as much as 30 pounds and must be held and manipulated by
three puppeteers.
The designs of the underwater poles, wires and levers are a strict secret, and spectators are not allowed
to watch from behind the screen.
Water puppetry nearly disappeared during the decades of wars against France and the United States,
poverty and communist revolution.
``During the war we didn't have the conditions to do many shows,'' said Nguyen Huy Hong, 76, president
of UNIMA, a Vietnamese traditional puppetry club. ``Many of the performers had to go to battlefields. The
puppets were put in storage and many became ruined, and there wasn't time for performances.''
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Communist authorities believed that traditional culture and festivals
were backward and frivolous in a time of extreme poverty and political upheaval. That policy began shifting
in the mid 1980s as Vietnam introduced economic reforms that ended its failed experiment in
collectivized agriculture and a centralized command economy.
The government now officially encourages many traditional arts in an effort to forge a national cultural
identity, and this year plans to ask UNESCO to designate water puppetry as part of the world's cultural
heritage.
But government support for the arts remains tightly limited.
``There's not much support from the government because it faces many financial difficulties,'' Hong said.
``Puppet shows are not very expensive to produce, so we've been able to revive them. But it depends on
the contribution of the puppeteers, who usually don't receive any salaries.''
In theaters in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, water puppet performances are packed every night with foreign
tourists. But the art form's future is less certain in its countryside roots, where it faces growing
competition from television, pop music and the allure of private enterprise.
Hong, who has been involved with water puppetry for 43 years, says it will survive as long as it accurately
depicts rural society.
``It originated from the farmers, and when farmers see it, they feel part of the show,'' he said. ``So I think it
will live forever, like a mirror which reflects the people's daily life.''
The Associated Press - July 03, 2002.
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