Kindergarten students had a great time on Monday, May 29, learning about the traditional Vietnamese art form of Tuồng storytelling. Before the performance, the artists demonstrated how they get into character by applying face paint and putting on their decorative costumes. This experience helped students to better understand the performance and the roles of the characters before they saw it.

As part of Kindergarten’s inquiry into How We Express Ourselves, students have been learning how to view and respond as an audience. After the performance, students had the opportunity to use their questioning skills to learn more about the performance. Here are some of the questions that were asked to the performers:

• How many times a week do you perform? We perform twice a week, on Fridays and Saturdays.
• How long have you been performing? Some of the actors have been performing for ten years. Rehearsals for each production take three to four months.
• I’m wondering how you perform in those shoes? We learned that a lot of practice is needed to perform in these special shoes.

Students noticed that the actors used facial expressions and body language to convey a range of emotions. The music and sound effects enhanced the performance, while the costumes and set design were elaborate and beautiful. Through this experience, students found that Tuồng storytelling is a beautiful and complex art form that takes a great deal of time and dedication to perform. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn more about it.