Ly Thi Thuy Hang, the Director of Hanoi City Cultural Center cum the Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee, delivered the opening speech for the Preliminary Round.
The Second Modern Dance Competition “Youth Rhythm” – Hanoi 2024 is designed for dance groups, aiming to find talented student groups while promoting the unity and strength of youth. The competition provides an engaging, civilized, and healthy playground to meet entertainment needs and boost the confidence and dynamism among young participants. It also seeks to inspire a sense of artistic expression and promote the creativity of performance art in particular and art in general.
This is also an opportunity for young people to exchange, share, and express their aspirations and personal perspectives in the digital age. It aims to promote an optimistic and positive mindset, contributing to the awareness of Vietnam’s culture, people, and history, as well as showing Hanoi’s dynamic, creative, and heroic nature in the context of integration and development.
The Organizing Committee gave flowers and souvenirs to the participating teams on the evening of October 14.
The competition was officially launched on August 01, 2024, and has been widely held at districts, towns, youth unions, centers for culture – communication – sports at district and town level, as well as high schools, colleges, universities, and dance teams and clubs in the community across the city. After reviewing the registration applications, the Organizing Committee selected 51 eligible teams to compete in the Preliminary Round, attracting nearly 1,000 participants.
In the competition, each team performed a self-chosen routine for no more than 5 minutes, with no restrictions on dance styles, and using either Vietnamese or international music. The teams competed in two categories: Local Unit Category (districts, towns, youth unions, and centers for culture – communication – sports at district and town level); and Educational Institution Category (colleges and universities).
Giving flowers to the Competition Sponsor
After the opening of the Preliminary Round, 15 dance teams performed dynamic and impressive routines, bringing a wide range of emotions to the audience. The routines that featured Vietnamese music were creatively choreographed, reflecting modern expressions of Vietnam’s cultural beauty, and signing the praise of Vietnamese country, homeland, and people with Hanoi as a city of peace and youthful love. The performances that used international music adhered to copyright laws and in line with Vietnamese musical tastes. Those routines are choreographed in a modern, youthful, and unique style, some of them cover popular songs and tracks both locally and internationally, that are loved by young people.
Routines performed by Local Units
Routines performed by Universities and Colleges
Nguyen Viet Thanh, choreographer and founder of Big Toe dance group, who is also the Head of Judging Panel, commented that he was somewhat surprised to see how much young people today are embracing creative dance styles. In addition, he found that the teams are choosing great music and appropriate outfits. They also clearly stated if their routines were covers, which shows a lot of cultural awareness. The respect these dance teams have for original authors is something the judges truly appreciate. He also mentioned that when teams focus on mastering a particular style, their performance improves significantly. Some teams performed excellently on stage, paying great attention to the art of dancing rather than just putting on a show for the audience. Their genuine love for music enables them to immediately connect with the crowd, reflecting through the cheers from the audience.
Dancer Nguyen Hong Quan, the leader of Big Toe group, offered some advice that, because the participants have made a lot of effort for a long time, they should do their best on stage.
Director Ninh Quang Truong from Vietnam Television emphasized that the competing teams should perform wholeheartedly to deliver their best performances for visually stunning and eye-catching routines. He also highlighted how the enthusiastic cheers from the audience serve as a powerful motivation, helping the teams to fully “ignite” their passion for the art.
Judging Panel gave comments on teams’ performance
Dancer Pham Khanh Linh (Linh 3T) shared that this is his second year working as a Judging Panel member for the Modern Dance Competition “Youth Rhythm”. During the Preliminary Round, many Judging Panel members noticed the strengths in the performances and awarded extra points accordingly. As for him, he gives every performance a full score of 100, and deductions are made only for mistakes. Many teams performed covers, while others showcased their own choreography and some teams performed in a youthful style. This is a performance-based competition, so technical skill is not the case. The team with smarter choreography, more confidence on stage, and a good combination of different styles will win.
The competition has attracted the attention and support of delegates and audience.
The Preliminary Round of Second Modern Dance Competition “Youth Rhythm” – Hanoi 2024, will take place at 7:30 PM on October 14, 15, and 16, 2024, at the outdoor stage of Hanoi City Cultural Center (No. 7 Phung Hung Street, Van Quan, Ha Dong, Hanoi).
Ngoc Tram