A dance work of the Provincial Music and Dance Theater choreographed by Meritorious Artist Duc Tho.

Born and raised in Muong Chien commune, a place that preserves many unique cultural features of the Thai ethnic group in the river countryside. Meritorious Artist Lo Duc Tho chose the path of professional dance art with a burning passion. Meritorious Artist Duc Tho said: Folk dance art is only truly alive when it preserves the "soul" of culture. Son La is a place where many unique traditional dances converge. Each dance is a story, a feeling, a desire told through body language. Therefore, I always look for the unique features of each ethnic group to put into my work.

Meritorious Artist Lo Duc Tho (standing in the middle) choreographs the dance.

With experience in many roles, he always focuses on choosing suitable actors for each dance work, stage setting, taking care of each movement, each performance, expression... Many dance works have left a strong impression in major art programs, such as: "Chênh voi - Dem xuan cho tinh" (Mong ethnic group); "Vu dieu ban em" (Khơ Mú ethnic group); "Nam tau, Sắc piêu" (Thai ethnic group)... Especially the work "Noong Sao", an outstanding creation combining dance, music and folk singing of Thai artists, vividly recreated the moonlit life of couples in the mountainous region, leaving many emotions with the audience because of its rustic yet meaningful beauty.

Meritorious Artist Lo Duc Tho (right) choreographs the dance.

Under his choreography, folk dance art is not only preserved intact, but also breathed new life into, to adapt and develop in the flow of contemporary art. Mr. Lo Van Thinh, Deputy Director of the Theater, commented: Meritorious Artist Duc Tho has experience from performing, so when he switched to the role of choreographer, he created many works of high artistic quality. He is an example for young artists to learn from and continue to preserve and spread the beauty of folk dance art.