Royal Dance

Royal dance in Viet Nam had a development process during many dynasties, from Dinh Dynasty in the 10th century to the Nguyen Dynasty in the early 20th century. It originated to serve royalty, and it was performed at different types of ceremonies. The Vietnamese royal dance has been fixed the form clearly in the Viet and Cham people community.

For Cham people, royal dances are known including apsara (Tra Kieu) and the sight of royal dance (Champa).

For Viet people, the great majority of royal dances functioned to wish the sovereign and his family happiness, prosperity and longevity - such was the origin of the various forms of mua quat (fan dance) and the numerous complex dance pieces devised for royal anniversaries, such as the tam tinh chuc tho, the bat tien hien tho and the luc triet hoa ma dang. Other royal dances, such as the tam quoc tay du (Travels through the Three Western Kingdoms) or the nu tuong xuat quan (Departure of the Warrior) celebrated legendary or historical events. There also developed a number of important ritual dances dedicated to Buddha, including the dances luc cung hoa dang and song quang. The most solemn and intriguing royal dance was the bat dat, involving groups of 64 civil and military dancers and presented latterly as an integral component of the annual sacrificial rites of the Nguyen kings at Nam Giao Esplanade in Hue where, according to tradition, the monarch received endorsement for his heavenly mandate.