ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 15/3 ? TalkVietnam

Local circus artists awarded in Russia

?Suc manh doi tay? (Power of the Arms) performed by two brothers, Giang Quoc Nghiep and Giang Quoc Co, has won a Silver Bear prize at the 2012 International Circus Festival in IZHEVSK, Russia.

With their outstanding performance, they have been invited to attend the 2013 Monte Carlo International Circus Festival in France.

Earlier, young artist Thu Hien also got two prizes at the FIGUERES International Circus Festival in Spain and was invited to perform in France for a year.

Celebrated thespian Trong Khoi dies at 69

People?s Artist Trong Khoi passed away yesterday in Ha Noi at the age of 69 after succumbing to heart disease.

Born in the capital in 1943, Khoi graduated from the Drama College became an artist at the Viet Nam Drama Theatre before being promoted to theatre director.

Khoi was also the former chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Drama Artists and director of the International Theatre Institute Viet Nam which is a member of ITI.

After many years devoted to the national drama sector with many impressive roles in popular dramas and movies, Khoi was honoured as a People?s Artist in 2000.

?Trong Khoi is a talented artist who devoted his life to theatrical art. He was a kind-hearted man who loved not only his colleagues but also all other people,? said script writer Dang Chuong, deputy head of the cultural ministry?s Performing Arts Department.

Chuong worried that the national theatre would have to wait a long time to see another artist like Trong Khoi.

S.Korean stars arrive in Hanoi for concert

Last night a number of South Korean stars landed in Hanoi for a concert tonight and were greeted by hundreds of excited local fans who had waited for hours to see their idols at Noi Bai International Airport.

The fans, who brought posters, banners and pictures to the airport, kept screaming the names of members of the bands Beast, Sistar, and MBLAQ, and young star IU, who will perform at the concert as part of the activities celebrating the 20th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Vietnam.

Many fans of the band Super Junior, who have had two concerts in Vietnam, even cried since they couldn?t see their idols due to the heavy security.

Right after arriving singer Ye Sung, a member of Super Junior, who is known for their friendliness with fans, pleased his fans by tweeting ?I have come to see ELF (the global name of the band?s fan clubs) of Vietnam. We will see you tomorrow;? while another group member, Donghae added ?I?m in Vietnam. See you tomorrow. Good night!?

The event, held by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in collaboration with Vietnam Television, will also include performances by local artists including Ho Quynh Huong and Minh Quan, and duet performances featuring singers from both countries.

All of the artists taking part in the concert will also join in to perform the song ?Heal The World? by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Others South Korean artists participating in the show include CN Blue, Secret, and Davichi, and the remaining members of Super Junior are now on the way to Hanoi.

The show will take place on the stage of the National Conference Center and will be broadcast on KBS2 channel on April 6.

Binh Thuan hosts balloon festival next month

The first Binh Thuan International Balloon Festival is to take place from April 26 to May 1 at the hilltop on Tieu Street in Hoa Thang Commune, Bac Binh District near the Mui Ne-Hon Rom tourist site.

The event is organized by HCMC-based Chien Thang Service Co., Ltd and will have the participation of 20 to 30 balloons which are 20-25 meters tall with a diameter of 16-18 meters. Each balloon can contain 50 people and will see contestants from Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France and Belgium taking part.

All teams will perform at a height of 150-500 meters during the day and at night.

The festival will help mark the 37th anniversary of liberation day of Binh Thuan Province (April 19, 1975-2012). Organizers expect to turn it into an annual event in Phan Thiet City.

Bookworm to host civilised discussion

The 2012 Asia link writer in residence Kim Huynh will host a discussion about the concept of civilisation across cultures, including topics such as dog meat-eating, public urination, road rules, karaoke addiction, among others, tomorrow.

A lecturer in international relations at the Australian National University, Kim is currently working on a collection of short stories about Vietnamese youth during his residency in Ha Noi.

His 2008 biography about his parents, Where the Sea Takes Us, has garnered academic and popular acclaim.

Hosted by the Bookworm, the discussion will take place at the Ha Noi Cooking Centre Restaurant, 44 Chau Long Street, from 7.30-9pm. Free entry. Reserve a seat at bookworm@fpt.vn, (04) 37153711.

Martial arts classes for the mind and body

The Ha Noi Ki-Aikido Society invites visitors to attend an open seminar on the martial art this weekend at the Le Quy Don School, 62 Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District.

Inspired by Aikido, Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido, or Ki-Aikido, was founded by the 10th-dan master Koichi Tohei (1920-2011), who believed that mind and body should be integrated in order to have a harmonious life.

Facilitated by the Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido Ha Noi and conducted by the sixth-dan Tsuzuki Seiji, chairman of Okayama Ki-Aikido Organisation, the two-day class will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone interested in martial arts, Aikido or Japanese culture is invited.

Admission is VND50,000 per person, per day. For more details, please contact: Le Hai Son 0947 792 892, Vu Hong Thao 0914 645 860, Ton van der Velden 0912 817 021.

Stradivaria Ensemble brings baroque concert to Hanoi

Audiences have a rare chance to witness a baroque concert by the Stradivaria Ensemble, under the baton of Daniel Cuiller, at L?Espace at 8 p.m. on April 10 in Hanoi.

Stradivaria Ensemble consists of soprano Anne Magouet, contra-tenor Jean-Michel Fumas, violinist Francois Costa, viola artist Sophie Cerf, cellist Annabelle Luis, positive organist Jocelyne Cuiller and flutist Marie Noelle Visse.

Tickets priced at VND100,000 each are available at L?Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street.

3D Mapping Projection to be used at musical event

Vincom Shopping Mall in Hanoi will use 3D-Mapping Projection for a musical event on March 17.

Titled ?Song Cung Yamaha? (Live with Yamaha), the show will be held by Yamaha Motor Vietnam in collaboration with the Hanoi-based VEBA marketing and communication group.

At the event, Italian film director Fernando Cosimo Toma, an expert on 3D techniques, will use 3D Mapping Projection, an audiovisual performing technology projecting videos over real surfaces such as buildings, cars, concert stages, or ordinary objects.

Local singers including Tuan Hung, Minh Hang, Hoang Thuy Linh, and Ngo Kien Huy and the European band DJ D-ROC will perform in the show.

In 2010, the 3D mapping technology was used at a show held at the Hanoi Opera House and was a hit with local audiences.

?Live with Yamaha? will start at 8 pm at Vincom at 191 Ba Trieu Street in Ha Ba Trung District.

British DJ Rob Smith to mix it up at Vasco?s

The Beats Saigon will present British DJ, musician, and remixer Rob Smith at Vasco?s bar and restaurant in HCM City on Saturday.

Smith, one-half of respected drum and bass/trip hop group Smith and Mighty, plays breakbeat hip-hop, dub, and reggae-influenced music. He has produced dubstep tracks as RSD on a number of labels.

The show begins at 9.30pm. Vasco?s is at 74/7D Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1.

Poolside party at Movenpick Hotel Saigon

Movenpick Hotel Saigon will host an afternoon poolside party, A dOSe of Summer, featuring among others Swedish artist Andreas Sagg, one of Scandinavia?s top house and club jazz producers, on Saturday.

The show will begin at 3pm and go on until 9pm, and will be followed by a deep-house club night from 9pm to 2am at the hotel?s Slate bar.

African music duo to perform at IDECAF

Kareyce Fotso of Cameroon and Aly Keita of the Ivory Coast will perform at a world music night at IDECAF (Institute for Cultural Exchange with France) in HCM City on March 20.

Fotso plays blues, jazz and soul on traditional instruments and the guitar and sings. Keita is a balafon player (a West African percussion instrument).

The concert begins at 8pm at the centre, 31 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1. Tickets costing VND100,000 ? with a 50 per cent discount for students ? are available at the venue.

Thai bands to rock the night away

British/Thai indie band The Standards from Bangkok will headline the Mini Indie Fest at Hanoi Rock City (HRC) on March 17.

After their smash performance at the annual Club for Arts and Music Appreciation (CAMA) Festival 5 in Hanoi last May, the rockers had a blazing UK tour before heading back to the capital city as part of their 2012 Asia Tour to perform a one-off show in Vietnam in January.

The band will share the stage with another guest band from Bangkok, Playground.

Local band Machete.Sex.Mix and several resident DJs, including Yark, Jimmy Livewire, Dave, Safe and Standard, and Dirty Fingrz, will hit the stage during the festival.

The event will start at 3pm on March 17 and run until 3am the next morning at 27/52 To Ngoc Van Street, Tay Ho District.

Purchase tickets in advance by emailing indiefest@hanoirockcity.com. The price is VND150,000 for each.

OV model to host fashion show in Malaysia

Overseas Vietnamese model and global fashion show organiser Jessica Minh Anh will hold the first ever international fashion show on the 58 metre long SkyBridge of the Petronas Twin Towers on March 18-19.

The J Spring Fashion Show will showcase the most spectacular 4 season collections by the world?s notable fashion houses, including British fashion leader Paul Costelloe, Dutch celebrity designer Addy van den Krommenacker, Portuguese fashion talent Susana Bettencourt, Paris Fashion Week brand Shiatzy Chen, New York Fashion Week and leading luxurious swimwear brands Gottex and Gideon Oberson.

Also, for the first time, J Model Management?s fashion show will provide a special slot for Limkokwing University of Creative Technology to showcase its special high end collection, which combines the best of East and West.

The exclusive guest list includes country ambassadors, brand managers, fashion designers, and the international press. They will be brought to level 42 of the futuristic mega structure by the high speed elevator system travelling at 6 metres per second.

After geeting the red carpet treatment, guests will be seated on both sides of the Skybridge, leaving the grand catwalk in between. Each model will be walking a total of 5 kilometres during the show. It will be choreographed by international movement director K.Knight, known for his work with MTV, Matthew Williamson, and Beyonce.

The show is part of a series of 4 high end fashion shows at the world?s most outstanding venues in 2012 hosted by J Model Management.

After making history with the international success of J Autumn Fashion Show on England?s iconic Tower Bridge last October, Jessica Minh Anh is believed to have declared a major step-up.

?Many people have asked me if bridges are my thing? smiled Jessica ?I say I?ll host the show wherever my imagination takes me. You gotta dream big!?

Hanoi rap song goes viral online

?Oi gioi oi? (Oh My God), an English rap song about Hanoi and its everyday life, has gone viral on video sharing website Youtube only a few hours after being posted, newswire Gia Dinh Vietnam reported.

The video which featured British rapper Ian Paynton and the band Hanoi Sessions, including Japanese member Hanoi Funkmaster and British producer JC Smith, all local expats, gained more than 49,000 views after just two days of being shared on Youtube.

Including very fun lyrics such as lines like ?When your pho is too hot you say Oi gioi oi,? or ?When the stress is a lot you say Oi gioi oi?, ?Oi gioi oi? also reflects closely on the observations of foreigners regarding the capital?s city life, from traffic habits and the stress of urbanization to its food and women.

?Oi gioi oi?s? music mixes Vietnam?s traditional drum beats music with old-school hip-hop into an interesting and different sound from most of the local musical works.

?We make our own music as when we came here, we could hardly like the Vietnamese music we listened to. I had spent a lot of time looking up good Vietnamese hip-hop songs with its own style but I couldn?t find any.Vietnamese music now sound a lot like K-pop, J-pop or C-pop works, those that are also influenced by Western music,? JC Smith said.

Hanoi Funkmaster, who has lived in Hanoi for nearly 10 years, says he likes funk and soul, genres which do not have many fans in Vietnam. ?But the genres did exist here and had influences on your songs during the 1970s. We blended them with a little bit of inspiration from A Tribe Called Quest [an American hip-hop band], then we had ?Oi gioi oi?.?

JC called the song ?respectful? of hip-hop and traditional Vietnamese music, which are both treasures that need to be explored by local musicians.
?In fact there are really inspiring and creative mixes using Vietnam?s traditional music by DJ Jase in Ho Chi Minh or the Vietnamese-French Onra and Tha Trickaz.?

Referring to the song?s title, Ian said ?Oi gioi oi? was probably the first phrase any foreigner learned upon first moving to Hanoi.
?It is used in many different contexts and expresses different meanings from frustration, disappointment to surprise, or excitement. It is a really interesting phrase,? he said.

?I know there are things expats living in Hanoi like and don?t like about the city. [And so much to love, but not the noisy stuff]. It is a lively and dynamic city but there are also very disappointing moments. As with anything else, the city has two sides. ?

Hanoi Sessions is working with Ian on other projects featuring other aspects of Hanoi, all of which feature strong influences from Vietnamese music and are mixed with other modern genres to create a fresh and fun vibe, like the city itself.

?What we are trying to do is to create something more unique than just easy and catchy tunes,? JC said.

Source: http://talkvietnam.com/2012/03/art-entertainment-in-brief-153/

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