Tay ethnic dancing honoured as national intangible cultural heritage

(Cinet)- Xoe dancing in the cultural life of the Tay ethnic people in Ta Chai commune, Bac Ha district, Northern Lao Cai province was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage on March 04.

As spring approaches, the Bac Ha plateau is flooded with white plum flowers and crowds of local and international visitors to enjoy xoe dancing to the sounds of boisterous musical instruments. Artist Lam Van Sun said the dance was traditionally performed for the Hoang A Tuong family – the richest and most powerful in the Bac Ha mountainous area.

The Ta Chai xoe festival is normally organized on the occasion of the New Year to pray for strong crops and good health. The whole community is familiar with the dance, Sun said.

So far, Ta Chai has five xoe troupes in Na Kim, Na Pac Ngam, Na Lo, Na Lang and Na Ho hamlets, each with 12 to 15 members. The Bac Ha district has over 30 xoe dancing troupes in total. The dance is also popular in Na Hoi, Lau Thi Ngai, and Nam Khanh communes.

The legendary told xoe is the result of interactions with the French valse. When the French created the dancing teams for the Hoang A Tuong palace, they unintentionally brought the valse rhythm to xoe dancing, differentiating it from the Muong xoe and Thai xoe.

Preserving and promoting xoe dancing are some efforts to protect cultural values while developing the dance to turn into a community tourism.

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