Not only catered to the entertainment needs of the people in the district, the “elder artists” of the Xuan Mai performance team (Thuy Xuan Tien Commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi) also toured in many provinces and cities.
In our first encounter with Xuan Mai performance team at the village festival of Hung Giao (Tam Hung Commune, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi) in an early spring evening, we and everyone in the village could not hide our surprise.
A performance by Xuan Mai performance team.
“Knowing that the village festival would feature a group of performance artists, we were all very excited. Everyone was so sure that they were young artists. It was so surprising that the artists turned out to be elderly people traveling from Xuan Mai. I was greatly touched and admired their love for art” said Mr. Nguyen Tien Cong from Hung Giao Village.
That was our initial impression of the elderly artists. However, as they proceeded with the performance, no one found it easy to gasp the idea that such stage had entirely been set up by the elderly. The towels, dresses, ethnic clothing, performing props, and makeup were prepared just fully and professionally as would have been done by a professional theater troupe. When they started singing, it seemed that the impression of age completely disappeared. Each member of the team has an incredibly strong, clear, and smooth voice.
Founded in 2002, Xuan Mai Performance Team consists of nine members gathered together only for the purpose of satisfying the entertainment needs in the old age. After only 10 years, this performance team (with the youngest member being 60 years of age) has expanded into five clubs, namely Poetry Club, Dancing and Singing Club, Tai Chi club, etc. with a total of 25 members. The clubs often tour in many Northern provinces and cities.
As mentioned above, each member of the team has an incredibly strong, clear, and smooth voice. Mrs. Le Thi Minh Thoa (aged 70), Chairwoman of Xuan Mai performance team, said: “Among us, the youngest is over 60, the rest are all approximately 70, so the quality of singing has shown its decline due to the old age, but our love for poetry and singing will never be extinguished. The members always try to showcase their best efforts in each performance.”
Each invitation to perform often comes with remuneration. Even though the remuneration is not that much, it is still a form of encouragement to the team members.
Thanks to the efforts of all members in their routinely Thursday and Saturday training sessions, Xuan Mai performance team has now become well-known on many amateur stages not only in the rural area of Hanoi, but also in many provinces and cities such as Hai Duong, Hung Yen, and so on.
Minh Hoang