Ho Chi Minh City - Gyeongju World Cultural Festival to open with historical dance

A scene in the play (Photo: Internet)

A historical dance performance titled “Promise to 800” on Prince of the Ly Dynasty Ly Long Tuong who fled to the Korean peninsula in the 13th century will be chosen for the opening ceremony of the upcoming HCMC-Gyeongju World Cultural Festival 2017.

The play is directed by Jung Sun Goo with the participation of local drama actor Bui Nhu Lai, Korean choreographer/dancer Chun Yoo Oh, German musician/pianist Peter Schindler, monochord artist Le Hoai Phuong the first Vietnamese who received a doctorate degree in traditional percussion in Korea, ballet dancers Tran Hoang Yen and Sung A Lung from the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).

In 1226, Prince Ly Long Tuong rode huge waves to reach a remote sea to seek shelter and after a long sea trip. He came to Ongjin land on the Korean peninsula of the Goryeo nation at the time. After nearly 800 years, there are currently around 2,000 people who are descendants of the Ly Dynasty in the RoK.

The “Promise to 800” scripted and directed by Sun Goo Jung was presented to audiences in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul and Cheongju in 2015 by Korean choreographer/businesswoman Chun Yoo Oh

Korean choreographer Chun Yoo Oh has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for 10 years. She has organized several Viet Nam-Korea cultural exchanges and activities, such as presenting dancing perfomances, “Into the time” in 2013, “Arirang Saigon” in 2014, and “Cay no” (Cross-Bow) in 2015.

The performance will take place at Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on November 10-12.

HCMC-Gyeongju World Cultural Festival 2017 is scheduled to take place from November 11 to December 3. The 23-day long festival aims to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea (RoK).