Studies on Then Ritual and Then Performing Art in Lang Son

The relationship between music, literature, dance, fine arts and movements in Then ritual art means that the Then ritual art has not been studied in its specific ritual space.

1.1.1.3. Studies on Then rituals and Then performance art in Lang Son

- Group of works approaching the ceremony:

Approaching the study of Then rituals, there is a thesis topic for the graduation degree of the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, in 1999, Then religion in the spiritual life of the Tay - Nung people in Lang Son [97] by author Doan Thi Tuyen. This thesis focused on researching the issues: Then artisans, the spiritual world and shrines, spirit possession and rituals, the spiritual and social role of Then in the community. With this research method, the author has a comprehensive approach to Then and it is authentic and necessary documents when researching Then in Lang Son.

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Similarly, in 2003, author Nguyen Thi Hoa conducted a survey on Then hat khao (dispelling curses) of the Tay people in Dinh Lap district, Lang Son province [24] . The conclusion of the thesis mentioned some characteristics of Then Tay in Dinh Lap. The research results of the topic are very necessary for comparing Then Bac Son with other Then regions to find out the characteristics.

- Group of works with artistic approach:

The Then ritual NTTD of the Tay people in Lang Son has also been presented by author Duong Thi Lam in her master's thesis on Then art of the Tay people in Lang Son [42]. In which the author stated that the characteristics of Then performing art are singing and dancing combined with musical instruments and shaking music. The research results will be the data to help me compare in this topic.

Following the approach of studying Then music from ritual performance, in 2007, author Tran Quang Hung conducted his master's thesis on Music in the ritual of praying for peace and avoiding disaster (through a survey at Pac Sao village, To Hieu commune, Binh Gia district, Lang Son province) [32]. The university graduation thesis on Then disaster relief of the Nung people in Van Nham commune, Huu Lung district, Lang Son province [63] by author Hoang Thi Quy.

In 2015, author Tran Van Ai, editor Duong Thi Lam (thesis author is a member of the research team) wrote the book Lau Then cap sac hanh nghiep of

Tay people in Tan Lap commune, Bac Son district, Lang Son province [43]. This work outlines the geographical location, economic, cultural and social characteristics of the Tay people in Tan Lap commune (Bac Son, Lang Son), the research work on the purpose and role of the Then ceremony with very specific and complete chapters, sequences and implementation methods. The new point of the work is that the group of authors has focused on clarifying more about the ritual values of Then cap sac practice and proposed solutions to preserve this type of intangible cultural heritage.

Thus, compared to previous research works, the survey object of this topic is the specific Then ritual NTTD to find out the characteristics of Then in Bac Son - an issue that has not been thoroughly and systematically carried out by previous studies. The new point is that through studying the values of Then ritual NTTD, the thesis aims to apply these values on the contemporary stage in the form of dynamic preservation.

1.1.2. General comments on the research situation

1.1.2.1. Contribution of sources of information on the research problem and issues that need to be further raised

In terms of theory : It is demonstrated through a system of research works that approach Then rituals from the perspective of ritual performance. Accordingly, the study of Then needs to be placed in a specific context of time and space, in a synchronous consideration of the relationship between the elements that make up the Then ritual such as: The person performing the ritual (Then master), the space where the ritual is held and especially the artistic elements participating in the process of performing the Then ritual (music, prayers, lyrics, dances, visual arts, decoration...). Accordingly, in the Then ritual, the religious and belief element is the center that attracts the cultural elements of Then NTTD in relation to the locality, region, profession... In other words, the implementation of this thesis topic is a continuation of the approach to researching Then ritual performance of previous authors, on that basis delving into the aspect of Then NTTD.

In terms of materials : With the participation of many authors from different research subjects, basically previous works have provided a systematic way

system of Then rituals and related performance forms. Most of the research was conducted in typical localities of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and some localities of Lang Son. This is a necessary source of information for studying and comparing Then and Put rituals between different localities in Viet Bac.

Academically : Some works have made certain contributions by pointing out the artistic characteristics, especially in the musical aspect of Then. Thereby, it shows that the prominence and attraction of Then lies in the musical elements, along with the indispensable elements of other elements.

Unanswered issues: As presented, due to different research purposes, previous works have not focused on studying and revealing the characteristics of Then ritual NTTD. Studies on Then ritual performance mainly focus on revealing the characteristics and participation of artistic elements, thereby revealing the role of Then ritual NTTD in community life, but there is still a lack of synchronous research. Meanwhile, to understand Then ritual NTTD, all elements of Then ritual NTTD must be considered as a whole with connections, interactions, and mutual support. Therefore, it raises key issues that the thesis needs to study.

1.1.2.2. Key research issues of the thesis

Through the overview of research history, overview of documents related to the topic, the author of the thesis believes that the implementation of the topic: " The art of performing Then rituals of the Tay people in Bac Son district, Lang Son province " is a research direction that inherits the results of previous authors on the basis of continuing to clarify issues related to Then rituals through the following contents:

Presentation of Then ritual performance with the combination of elements: time, space, script, performers, ways of performing artistic elements and the relationship between performers and audience.

To reveal the locality of Then ritual NTTD of Tay people in Bac Son through comparison with Then of Tay people in other localities; with Nung people and with Hau Dong of Vietnamese people.

Evaluate and study the role, changes and adaptation issues on current performing stages. Propose appropriate solutions for the preservation, promotion and application of Then rituals in contemporary life.

1.2. Theoretical basis

1.2.1. Some concepts related to the topic

1.2.1.1. The concept of “Then”

Then is associated with the spiritual life of the Tay people, contributing to the cultural identity of the Tay - Nung community. Therefore, Then is a broad concept that includes many different forms of expression. Therefore, to understand the concept of Then, we need to start by understanding the origin of the name "Then".

About the origin of the name "Then": In the work Then Tay [110] in the section "Then and religious concepts related to Then", author Nguyen Thi Yen cited 9 different ways of writing in Han Nom characters to refer to "Then", accordingly, 6/9 characters use the word "thien" (sky) to express the meaning of "Then", from which the author analyzed and came to the assumption that "The name Then originated from the sky worshiping belief of the Tay-Thai residents in general", the fact that they used the word "thien" mispronounced as "Then" is a borrowing of Chinese characters to honor the sky ( pha ) that they worship [110, pp.57-70] .

On the interpretation of different names related to the concept of “Then”:

Then is the word used to refer to people who perform this type of ritual worship (Then batch, Then pot - Mrs. Then, Mr. Then) [16, p.271]. This way of calling is based on the view that the word "Then" comes from "slien - tien", which is a phonetic variation of the word "thien - troi" as explained above. Or a Then practitioner is both a singer and a musician, playing the instrument and singing, sometimes also shaking the music, and at the same time is also a talented dancer performing dances in front of admiring crowds [55, pp.11-12] .

+ Then is the name of a type of ritual folk song of the Tay people (called hat/het Then - lam Then, in some places like Cao Bang it is called het put - lam Put) which is called "hat Then" by researchers, now it is a common name in the cultural life of the Tay people. The content of the Then ritual folk song is to narrate the journey to heaven to ask the Jade Emperor to solve a problem for the homeowner. In singing

Each Then melody is arranged in different orders but all follow the same pattern and end up with the same path and result.

+ Then is the name of a synthetic art form including literature, music, dance, performance and decorative arts [55, p.19] . Depending on specific themes and purposes, there are combinations of different elements such as musical instruments (dan tinh, xoc nhac), dance, plays and songs...

Synthesizing the understandings of Then by previous authors, the concept of Then I use in this research topic is: " Then" is the name of a form of cultural and religious practice related to the sky worship of the Tay, Nung and Thai (White Thai) people in Vietnam.

1.2.1.2. Concepts of “Performance” and “Performing Art”

Concept of “Performance” and “Exhibition”

In 1997, the Ministry of Culture organized a scientific conference on folk performance and stage art. In this conference, there were many different views and opinions on the term performance. According to author Le Trung Vu: “Performance is both a form of periodic social and cultural activities (such as Gióng festival, Xoan festival, Pagoda festival...) on a village scale; and an irregular social and cultural activity such as (weddings, funerals, coming of age ceremonies, longevity ceremonies...) on a family scale or village scale. Performance is a very natural way of performing that is neither periodic nor regular, but is due to the needs of daily life during work, for work or for entertainment..." [113, p.120] . In the book Treasure of Vietnamese Folk Performance, author Vu Ngoc Khanh believes that performance can be understood in two capacities:

Firstly, performance is a method. It is a way of expression, a way of introducing and presenting. Accordingly, most genres and elements of our folklore are presented and introduced by means of performance such as: speaking, telling, similes, rhymes, singing, chanting, games, dancing, singing, dancing, rituals, music... if not using the method of performance, it cannot really reach the people's souls.

Second, performance is a genre. Accordingly, folk literature genres in the process of performance and publication to the public gradually take on different forms.

The form is developed, transformed, and combined with many forms to satisfy an aesthetic requirement. At that time, each genre itself could not meet this development requirement, so it became another form, more organized, more disciplined. Performance at that time was no longer a way of presenting, but had truly become a performance [39, pp. 14-18].

Regarding this issue, author To Ngoc Thanh raised the question of whether the term “performance” should be used instead of the term “performance” because the term “performance” has led to associations with the following genres: music, dance, theater, which include acting and singing elements. To have a broader meaning, the term “performance” is appropriate and performance is a form of performance” [72, p.25].

Sharing the same point of view, in the article “Revisiting the concept of performance” [68], author Kieu Trung Son pointed out that “performance” is a narrow concept used by Vietnamese people in traditional cultural research, not in the international terminology, and “performance” is a broad concept including “performance” and other forms such as theatrical performance; the author defined it very specifically: Performance is a folk art form, improvisation, oral, using a synthesis of many artistic elements, in which discourse is the main element, to meet the cultural needs of people in resolving relationships between people and nature, the supernatural and society (in communication, love affairs, performing rituals, customs, beliefs). Thus, from the perspective of the type, the author makes the following statement: the art of phonetic stylization associated with other artistic elements such as dance, music, visual arts, costumes, stage… in a unified whole forms the art of performance. In which, the basic element of performance is discourse, oral storytelling using stylized phonetics, other elements are only supporting, aiming to make this art more convincing. Author Kieu Trung Son also noted the use of the concepts of performance and demonstration because according to him: "Performance is indeed a performance. But few people think that performance is just one of many phenomena of a performative nature" [68].

Thus, through analyzing the terms “performance” and “presentation”, we can see that these two terms have relatively similar categories, the difference lies in the research objectives that need to be aimed at. “Performance” is a broad concept.

(performance) includes "performance" which is a concept used by Vietnamese people in folklore research.

Performance art:

The term “Performance Art” is also understood as an art form in which artists use their voices and/or body movements, in relation to other objects, to convey artistic expressions. Performance Art includes many different practices (it can be music, it can be rituals, it can also be religious ceremonies or sports performances...) but all of these forms are intended to be performed in front of an audience. Performance Art was born to satisfy the need to enjoy art in the most complete way of people, or in other words, Performance Art brings to the audience a work of art in the most attractive state, in which it can “fascinate” the viewer. (This is the author's point of view drawn from concepts related to Performance Art)

Thus, in this topic, the concept of "Performing Art" is understood as: a performance presented to the public by practitioners (professional or non-professional), to express ideas according to a pre-existing script, emphasizing the interactive relationship between the performer and the audience.

Then ritual performance art:

We know that Then ritual performance (the term is commonly known as "Then ritual performance") is a composite art form with the participation of many artistic elements such as: language, music, dance, stage, performance, etc. Therefore, the use of the concept of "Performance art" is aimed at studying Then ritual as a unified whole, where the needs of enjoying art are most fully satisfied by the participants, focusing on the interaction between Then practitioners and participants.

Accordingly, the research object in this topic is Then ritual NTTD, which not only has the performance element (using the language of art forms such as music, fine arts, dance...) of the ritual practitioner, but also is a synthesis of many other elements such as costumes, makeup, props, lighting (Please note that props

In Then ritual NTTD, the audience is not only the audience, the participants play a passive role in enjoying but also interact with the performer, participate in the performance, this contributes to the success of the ritual. The performance in Then ritual can be original or variant, improvised or carefully scripted. Thus, the basic elements involved in Then ritual NTTD will include: time , space, program script, performer, artistic elements and interaction between performer and participant . It is the actions of individual performers (or groups) in special places and times that make the difference of this art form.

Thus, the use of the term “Performing Arts” in this topic is aimed at the following main purposes:

One is to unify the concept with the internationally popular terminology in current art research.

Second, when using this concept, we are particularly interested in the interaction and impact of artistic values on participants as audiences, that is, in the people's need to enjoy or participate in artistic performances while attending the ceremony.

Third, with the concept of "Performance Art", from the survey of the original art in specific Then rituals, we also expand to consider the preservation and promotion in the form of exploiting Then ritual art (in the form of adaptation and dramatization) to serve the cultural and artistic life of the Tay people today.

1.2.1.3. Value

Within the scope of this topic, we will study the value in Then ritual NTTD, thereby creating a basis for conservation to effectively promote the values of Then in the cultural life of the Tay people, expressed in the following aspects: perception; creation and enjoyment; transmission; promotion. So what is "value" and "value" in Then needs to be understood as a concept indicating the meaning of phenomena.

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