Vietnamese themes and culture come to life in a show of acrobatics, bamboo cirque, contemporary dance and folk instruments, on stage in Saigon’s turn of the century Opera House.
Developed in 2009, A O Show was the first production, and introduced Ho Chi Minh City to amazing feats, turning simple things like bamboo and iconic bamboo fishing baskets into a circus art. Now A O Show frequently tours the world and other productions have been introduced. We were disappointed to learn we couldn’t see the original but that was soon forgotten once the curtain went up for Teh Dar; we loved every minute of it.
Time for a show? Photo: Cindy Fan
Teh Dar draws its inspiration from a few tribal groups of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The live performance features both male and female acrobats, dancers, musicians and singers with mesmerising choreography. The production does play up the “exoticism” but it’s hard not to get swept up in the feeling of curiosity and mysticism, especially since they’ve taken gongs and drums, traditional instruments of the Central Highlands, and upped the ante with intense percussion paired with physical theatre.
What we enjoyed was that there was still a narrative—it wasn’t just people doing impressive tricks, though there was plenty of that. There were interludes of song and joyful moments of humour, where despite not knowing the language, the audience could still connect with it. The only downside is the lack of pamphlet or poster to give an overview, something you would expect of any theatrical production. The show draws from symbols of the Central Highlands—Rong houses, jar wine, gongs—and the average theatregoer may not understand their ... please log in to read the rest of this story.
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By
Cindy Fan
.
Last updated on 25th August, 2017.
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Location map for A O Show and Teh Dar at Saigon Opera House
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