The circus conjures up images of a round stage with artists wearing shiny bodysuits in many people’s minds. However, a special circus show entitled ‘Hanoi with dreams’ held recently at Hanoi Opera House may make you think again.

The 18-year-old Nguyen Dac Hiep has been learning circus skills for five years. But this is the first time he has performed in a military costume.

His performance won thunderous applause from audiences. For him, this performance is like a dream come true.

“This is my first time on stage so I was a bit shaky, not to mention my role as a soldier is very difficult to perform,” circus artist Nguyen Dac Hiep said. “But after all, I have done it through so I feel awesome,” he added.

Named ‘Hanoi with dreams’, the show is not only the circus artists’ dreams, but also a flashback to glorious years in the past, when Hanoi was at war.

Featuring three sessions of ‘Autumn in Hanoi’, ‘Memory of Hanoi’ and ‘Hanoi heading to the Future’, the show dazzles audiences.

“There are so many things to tell about Hanoi. However, within the 90-minute performance, we want to deliver audiences an image of a romantic yet glorious Hanoi when the people were fighting hard for their hometown,” said Ta Duy Anh, director of the Vietnam Circus Federation.

Anh expressed his hope for a more bustling and modern Hanoi which lures more and more tourists in the future.

Instead of performing circus acts with little or no relevance to the other acts, the show is cohesive with a script and an attractive combination of music, circus acts and dances.
The show illustrates the development of Vietnam’s circus sector.

Stage Director Tong Toan Thang said: “Given globalisation, the circus also needs renovating. Instead of performing separated circus acts like before, we have come up with new circus performances with a coherent script, music, dances, requiring artists to practice more skills, even dancing and acting. So we artists have tried hard.”

However, despite all the renovations, the artists still keep traditional values so that people can be proud that this is a true Vietnamese circus, Thang added.

‘Hanoi with dreams’ was the first circus performance in a series of top arts being introduced at the Hanoi Opera House as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

More circus shows are expected to follow to reach more and more audiences.-VNA