The inscription describes the entertainment at the birthday part of a king in 1121CE: “A golden tortoise with three mountains on its shell was seen on the rippling surface of the water. The earliest known record of the art is the inscription on a stone slab located in Đọi Sơn Pagoda roughly 50km from Hanoi. The history of water puppetry is largely undocumented and disputed. A brief history of Vietnamese water puppets The Vietnamese like a fairytale ending with the good guy generally emerging triumphant. Stories reflect cultural values, folk religion and celebrations such as harvest festivals. They reflect the daily living of the art form’s originators who were farmers living in rural villages. The stories of Vietnamese water puppetry are those of local folklore. The musicians interact with the puppets by yelling words of warning or encouragement, adding to the drama, as would the audience in a traditional setting. The show is accompanied by musicians and singers that perform a type of opera called chèo, which narrates the story being acted by the puppets. Water puppet show, Hanoi, Vietnam Peaking into the inner workings of an outdoor water puppet theatre stage Water puppet performance at the Thang Long Theatre, Hanoi. They are generally controlled using a combination of bamboo poles and strings. The puppets can weigh up to 15kg and are 30-100cm (12-40inches) in height. The lacquer tree’s resin is used to varnish the wood and make it water-resistant. Puppets are hand-carved, usually from the wood of fig trees which are abundant in Vietnam. The water also reflects the theatrical lighting, adding to the magic of the scene. The water provides a dynamic play surface with which the puppets can appear and disappear, splash and even be enhanced with fiery effects. These have evolved over time to water tanks located permanently in specialist theatres and portable tanks used by touring puppet troupes. A structure was built to hide performers and create a backdrop to the show made to look like a pagoda or communal house. Traditionally a water puppet stage would have been a waist-deep pond, river or flooded rice field. The puppets controlled by a variety of devices hidden beneath the murky water’s surface, to create the theatrical illusion of puppets without strings. Hand-carved, wooden puppets perform on a fluid stage controlled by puppeteers hidden behind a screen. The art of Vietnamese water puppets originated in the rice-growing regions of northern Vietnam, such as the Red River Delta. I was relieved to find out that we were going to see the show from the inside of a heated theatre. Though I had no concept of what a water puppet show would be like, I knew it was traditionally an outdoor activity and was expecting to be sitting in the chilly winter night air. I rugged up for a cold evening in the park where I thought I was going to take in my first water puppet experience in Hanoi. To this day, the unique form of theatre can generally only be experienced in this corner of the world. You’ve seen Disney on Ice, how about puppets on water? Vietnamese water puppets are an ancient art originating on the rice paddies of North Vietnam.
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