On the evening of October 26, at the outdoor stage of the Hanoi City Culture Center (7 Phung Hung – Van Quan – Ha Dong), the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, in collaboration with the Hanoi Vietnam Students’ Association, organized the final ranking and award ceremony for the 2nd Modern Dance Competition “Youth Rhythm” – Hanoi 2024. The event was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Hanoi (October 10) and to celebrate the success of the 10th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front for the term 2024 – 2029.
At the opening ceremony, the Director of the Hanoi City Culture Center, Ly Thi Thuy Hanh, delivered the opening speech.
The ranking final and award ceremony were attended by Deputy Director of the Department of Grassroots Culture (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Luong Duc Thang; Member of the Central Committee of the Youth Union, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Youth Union, and President of the Hanoi City Student Association Nguyen Tien Hung – Co-chair of the Organizing Committee of the competition; Director of the Hanoi City Culture Center Ly Thi Thuy Hanh – Deputy Chair of the Organizing Committee of the competition; representatives of leaders from departments, divisions, and units under the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports; and leaders from districts, townships, district youth unions, and culture-sports-information centers across districts and towns.
The Organizing Committee presented flowers to the teams participating in the ranking final.
The “Youth Rhythm” Modern Dance Competition – Hanoi 2024, the second edition, was organized for group dance teams with the aim of discovering talented student groups and promoting the solidarity of the youth. The competition attracted nearly 1,000 participants from 46 teams, including representatives from district and town youth unions, Cultural – Information and Sports Centers, high schools, colleges, universities, clubs, and community dance groups across Hanoi.
The Organizing Committee presented flowers to the Judging Panel of the competition
“After the preliminary round, the Organizing Committee selected the 16 best teams who qualified for the ranking finals. The competition promises to bring many lively, unique, and exciting performances for the youth and the public of the capital,” emphasized Ly Thi Thuy Hanh, Director of the Hanoi City Cultural Center, in her opening speech.
Sharing about the competition, Nguyen Tien Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Youth Union and President of the Hanoi Student Association, stated, “Today, we are witnessing a joyful, vibrant, and energetic atmosphere created by the enthusiastic participation of students from Hanoi. This is a meaningful playground that aligns with the needs and interests of young people, giving them the opportunity to showcase their spirit, youth, and enthusiasm.”
The Deputy Secretary of Hanoi Youth Union, Chairman of Hanoi Student Association Nguyen Tien Hung shared about the competition
At the competition, students and young people performed many elaborate performances. This year’s competition celebrates important events, so in addition to expressing their own personalities, the participants also showed their love for the capital, homeland, and country, especially the image of Hanoi youth: elegant, civilized, dynamic, and creative. It is encouraging to see that the younger generation is becoming increasingly interested in the competition, focusing on the values of national identity, especially those connected to the thousand-year-old cultural capital of Hanoi, where they are living and studying.
Director Ninh Quang Truong from Vietnam Television shared additional information about the competition.
Director Ninh Quang Truong from Vietnam Television, a member of the judging panel, shared that the 16 performances tonight had gone through a rigorous selection process to choose the best teams for the final ranking and awards. When participating in city-level competitions, students often feel hesitant, thinking that the judging criteria may not align with their thinking. However, after two editions, the competition has gained a certain level of recognition and attention from Hanoi’s youth. The participating teams have made thorough preparations, training for months to present their best performances. This demonstrates that community activities and public engagement are now closely linked to the youth’s desire to express themselves and showcase their talents.
In his evaluation of the competition, Choreographer Nguyen Viet Thanh, Head of the Judging Panel, remarked that the students brought a truly valuable gift to the stage. Both the judges and the audience praised their youthful energy, noting that only youth can create the miracles seen on stage today. The performers sent an energy to the audience that was hard to come by. As they gave their all in their performances, the audience reciprocated with immense affection. The contestants showed significant improvement in terms of technique, aesthetics, choreography, music selection, and the way they conveyed their stories through dance in a delicate manner. After three days of preliminary rounds, the best teams were selected to compete in today’s final ranking.
Choreographer Nguyen Viet Thanh assessed the artistic quality of the competition
The judges greatly appreciated the groups that dared to present new choreography and took on the challenge of performing with only about ten days to prepare for the final competition. This factor contributed positively to their scores. However, many teams faced a limitation where transitions between segments caused the music to break, which affected the flow of the performance. When props were moved on and off the stage, there were times when the emotional connection with the audience was disrupted. The judges, from the preliminary rounds, advised the contestants to improve their stage entrances and exits for smoother transitions. The teams have clearly learned from this feedback. Additionally, the energy from the contestants today was remarkable. One issue raised was the excessive use of props, which led to confusion on stage. This made it difficult to maintain smooth coordination between the dancers and the storyline. In some cases, the performance lost its rhythm and control. However, this year, many teams successfully integrated elements of traditional culture with modern styles, which was a very thoughtful and effective choice for the competition stage….
The Organizing Committee awarded First Prize to the teams.
The Organizing Committee awarded the Second Prize.
Third Prize
Encouragement Award
Special Encouragement Award
With the enthusiastic, excellent, and lively participation of the competing teams in two categories: the grassroots and the universities/colleges, the Organizing Committee of the competition awarded four First Prizes to the following teams: CAPITAL D.G (Tran Hung Dao Ward, Hoan Kiem District), W-UNIT (Freedom), THE GG (Thuyloi University), and SPIC (University of Commerce).
Six Second Prizes were awarded to the following teams: STT (Cultural – Information and Sports Center, Hai Ba Trung District), Trang An (Cultural – Information, Sports and Tourism Center, Cầu Giấy District), U.Z.CREW (Dong Da High School, Dong Da District), SD CREW (University of Economics – Vietnam National University), KINGS CREW (Art Club, Hanoi Pedagogical University), and UNIG CREW (University of Business and Technology Hanoi).
Six Third Prizes went to: BLACKSI (Freedom), Art Club of Hoang Long High School, Ba Dinh District, LVC-L’VENTOR CREW (Ly Thuong Kiet High School, Long Bien District Youth Union), THE WILL 5 (Cultural – Information and Sports Center, Tay Ho District), SHI!ENALINE (Chu Van An High School, Tay Ho District), and ISTEPS – VNUIS DANCE CLUB (International School – Vietnam National University Hanoi).
Additionally, the Organizing Committee awarded 10 Encouragement Prizes and 10 Encouragement Prizes for Special Topics (Creative Artistic Ideas, Beautiful Costumes, Style, Teamwork, and Creativity)).
CAPITAL D.G (Tran Hung Dao Ward, Hoan Kiem District) won the First Prize in the grassroots category.
W-UNIT (Freedom) won first prize in the Grassroots Block category
THE GG (Thuy Loi University) won first prize in the College and University category.
PIC (University of Commerce) won first prize in the College and University category.
Sharing her feelings when the team won the first prize in the competition, Nguyen Minh Anh, from Tran Hung Dao Ward, Hoan Kiem District, was emotional: “I feel happy and lucky to have overcome many difficulties to reach the finals of the competition. Close to the competition day, I and a male teammate got injured while practicing. Despite this, we were determined to perform on stage today. Our performance was excellent, and it clearly shows that our efforts were truly deserving.”
The attention and support from students in Hanoi have created a strong ripple effect, contributing to the success of the Modern Dance Competition “Youth Rhythm” – Hanoi 2024./.
Ngoc Tram