The Vietnamese Dance Academy and its role in the formation of the national choreographic education system

Kao Thi Van Diem ORCID: 0000-0001-8643-2151 Postgraduate Student; Department of Philosophy, History and Theory of Art; Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy 191023, Russia, Saint Petersburg region, Saint Petersburg, Architect Rossi str., 2 bellacao271991@gmail.com

Le Hai Minh ORCID: 0009-0008-0506-5440 Doctor of Art History Deputy Rector for Academic Affairs Vietnam Dance Academy 11309, Vietnam, Hanoi region, Hanoi, Ho Tung Mau str., 1 lehaiminh25@gmail.com

     To date, Vietnam has developed a fairly stable system of professional choreographic education. It includes fifteen educational organizations, including six universities and nine colleges, which provide professional training for performing artists, choreographers and teachers.  The Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema, the Vietnamese Academy of Dance, the Northwestern College of Culture and Arts, the College of Art and Culture of North Vietnam, the Dance School in Ho Chi Minh City are under the departmental subordination of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the SRV.  At the regional level, there are University of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Thanh Hoa), Halong University (Quang Ninh), Community College (Laocai), College of Culture, Art and Tourism (Yen Bai), Hanoi Art College, College of Culture and Arts (Nge An); Da Nang College of Culture and Arts, Nha Trang College of Culture, Art and Tourism. The creation of the first folk song and dance groups was due to the urgent tasks of the national liberation movement and political struggle, ideological propaganda and raising the general cultural level of the Vietnamese. In wartime, the forward-looking brigades of artists helped to maintain the patriotic mood and morale of soldiers on the front line. This explains the departmental affiliation of the University of Military Art and Culture and the Central Pedagogical University of Arts to the Ministry of National Defense of the SRV.     

The Vietnamese Dance Academy is the oldest choreographic school, which was established by the Decree of the Ministry of Culture of the DRV No. 153 VH-ND of September 21, 1959 (Decree No. 153 VN-ND of September 21, 1959 of the Ministry of Culture with the task of "Training personnel, dancers to provide various industries and local organizations"). The dance School became the first specialized educational institution in the field of art in the history of Vietnam and eventually took a leading position in the country. On the basis of the Vietnamese Dance School, with the participation of foreign specialists, the first educational programs for professional training of future ballet dancers were developed. Later, the educational programs of the Academy formed the basis of other educational institutions of the SRV, which provide professional training for performing artists, choreographers and teachers.

         In the Vietnamese humanitarian literature, the issues of the formation of the national system of professional choreographic education and the history of the development of the Vietnamese Dance Academy were covered in the works of Le Ngoc Kan ^{[1, 2]}, Le Hai Minh ^[3], etc. Le Ngoc Kan notes that "The Vietnamese Dance School is a training center for Vietnamese dancers, has a long history in the field of dance training" ^{[1, p. 215]}. Bui Thu Hong emphasizes the status of the Academy as "the largest dance training center in the country" and "solid achievements in the training of dancers" ^{[4, p. 123]}. In Soviet and Russian historiography, this problem has not been raised before. Some aspects of the Academy's research activities were touched upon in the article published in Russian by Khao Thi Van Ziem ^[5]. E.V. Makhrova and T.A. Filanovskaya proposed a structural model of choreographic education, highlighting the value-semantic, institutional and morphological planes ^[6]. Emphasizing the importance of the cultural and historical meaning of choreographic education, they note not only the need for "... deep mastering by the graduate of the plastic language of dance art, virtuoso possession of his own body, but also in the knowledge of the high purpose of his art" ^{[6, 146-147]}. From the point of view of Russian researchers, "the institutional (organizational and functional plane will allow us to determine the functions, the nature of the interrelations of the structural elements of choreographic education, which determine the properties of artistic, professional and cultural-universal experience acquired by a future specialist" ^{[6, pp. 146-147]}.

        Following the idea of E.V. Makhrova and T.A. Filanovskaya, the authors of the proposed article focused on the institutional aspect of choreographic education, primarily its elements such as subjects of education, including students, teachers, administrators, the content of education and methods of creative activity.

      The purpose of the article is to show the place and institutional significance of the Vietnamese Dance Academy in the formation of the national system of professional choreographic education. Taking into account the long tradition of fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and the USSR in the field of choreographic art and education, as well as the agreement signed in 2022 between Vietnam and the Russian Federation on the development of the Vietnam-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership for the period up to 2030, the topic of this article seems not only to have scientific novelty, but relevance.

The object of the research is professional choreographic education as an integral part of choreographic art. The subject of the study is the Vietnamese Dance Academy at different stages of its development. The chronological framework covers from 1957, when the first class was organized, on the basis of which the Vietnamese Dance School was created, and to the present.

        The source base was made up of verbal sources. Official and clerical documents in Vietnamese were used, as well as scientific works published in the SRV, oral memoirs of teachers and authoritative Vietnamese art historians ^[7]. Sources of personal origin in Russian were involved, including archival materials – letters from Y.E. Brunak to Y.A. Bakhrushin ^[8], published memoirs of H. F. Mustaeva ^[9], N. P. Karachentsova ^[10] and others From theoretical sources translated into Vietnamese the works of outstanding Soviet teachers N. I. Tarasov ^[11], V. S. Kostrovitskaya and A. A. Pisarev ^[12], Yu. A. Bakhrushin ^[13].

     The methodological base is based on a combination of general scientific and special methods, including methods of observation, description, comparative analysis, systematization, chronological, typological, quantitative, etc. When working with primary sources, special methods of source analysis were used.  

        The prerequisite for the creation of the Vietnamese Dance School was the organization in the Mai Ho camp (Bak Mai region, Hanoi) in 1957 of a Nationwide Additional education class under the Ministry of Culture of the DRV.  About thirty amateur artists from seven folk dance and song ensembles were enrolled in the class. From the ensemble of the "Management of the People's Central Committee" Hai Zuong, Yen Bai, from the Research Department of the Department of Arts Ki Han, Lam To Lok, Hoang Chau, Le Kung, etc. The class was led by one of the first Vietnamese composers, the head of the Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture, Lu Hu Phuoc (1921-1989). The main task was to improve the professional level of amateur performers. The term of study in the National Additional Education Class was three months, it lasted from June to September 1957. The composer Pham Siu and the Honored Artist Hoang Chau (1925-2001), who headed the Vietnamese Dance School in 1959, worked as teachers. The class of European classical dance was led by a Vietnamese woman of French origin Tham Dong Thy. She came to Vietnam during the French colonization with her husband, a French officer. Her class consisted of movements at the machine and in the middle of the hall, including arabesques, turns, jumps, etc. She also taught some basic duet dance moves. 

Six months after the successful completion of the Nationwide Class, in early 1958, Tham Dong Thi decided to organize the first national training courses for performing artists. This idea was supported by the Ministry of Culture and vocational training courses were opened under the auspices of the Art Department. Their main goal was to raise the artistic level of performing arts in professional ensembles. Chu Hue Duk was invited from North Korea specifically to conduct the courses. She taught the basics of ballet.  According to the memoirs of contemporaries, she imposed rather strict requirements on the flexibility of the joints of students, the strength and height of the jump. In addition to European classical dance, she taught traditional Korean dance with drums. The courses were attended by artists from the ensembles of the "General Directorate for Public Affairs of the Political Bureau" Le Ngoc Kan (1934-2022) and Ngan Kui, the "Directorate of the People's Central Committee" Fung Thi Niang, Chu Thui Kuin, Hong Qui, the "Southern Dance Ensemble" Dang Hung (1936-2022), etc.

By Decree of the Ministry of Culture of the DRV No. 153 VH-ND dated September 21, 1959, the Vietnamese Dance School was established on the basis of these courses. The school was tasked with "training personnel in the field of choreography for various state needs." The official opening of the school took place on October 25, 1959. As noted above, the first professional choreographer in the history of Vietnam, Honored Artist Hoang Chau, headed the Vietnamese dance School. He began his professional career as an artist-performer. After graduating from the cadet school, as one of the most gifted young people in 1950, he was sent to study at the Thien Tan Choreographic School (PRC) ^{[1, p. 367]}. Since 1952, he performed in the "Central People's Military Labor Ensemble". There he taught ballet class and choreography to artists. In 1953, he became famous for the choreographic works of small forms created to the music of cu Lui Hui Phuoc (1921 - 1989), "Joyful Dance of the North-Western region" ("M?a T?y B?C vui ti") and "Dance with hats on the Plain" ("M?a n?n ng b?ng"). In his productions, he used the material of folk dances of the Viet and other ethnic groups. Unlike folk dances, his productions were distinguished by the freshness of the idea and modern aesthetics. They conveyed the spirit of the times, the hope of the long-suffering Vietnamese people for a peaceful future and a just society. From 1955 to 1956, Hoang Chau served as deputy Artistic director of the Central People's Military Labor Ensemble. In a later period, he created outstanding choreographic works, combining elements of traditional and modern dance. His talent and creative contribution to the development of the Vietnamese dance scene brought him recognition and success in his career as a choreographer. Unfortunately, Hoang Chau did not have the opportunity for further creative activity, since the state needed talented organizers and administrators and he had to serve in the field of socialist cultural construction.

Among the first teachers of the Vietnamese Dance school were Le Kung, Nguyen Ngan Qui, Fung Hong Qui, Hoang Tuk, etc. After studying at the Beijing Dance Academy, Doang Long, Thai Li (1930 – 1992), Hoang Diep (1935-2016), Hong Lin, Nguyen Bik Ngia (1937 - 2018) came to work at the school. From North Korea, Kim Te Hoan. Y.E. Brunak (1913-1998) and H.F. Mustaev (1918-2015) arrived from the USSR ^{[7, p.8]}.

At the initial stage of the school's activity, the main emphasis was on folk dance and the preservation of original cultural heritage. According to the memoirs of contemporaries at the Department of ethnic folk dances at that time there was no holistic work program. The duties of the head of the department of folk dances Nguyen Ngan Kui and her colleagues Fung Hong Kui, Nguyen Bik Ngia (1937 - 2018), Hoang Chau included the organization and conduct of folklore expeditions in the provinces of Northern and Central Vietnam. They collected and recorded dance material, conducted research on Vietnamese folk dances, and created an educational and methodological base.  Initially, a simple program of teaching folk dances of five ethnic groups was compiled, including Kinh (Kinh), Thai (Th?i), Mnongi (N'M?NG), Banar (Bana), Zyarai (Gia rai). According to the memoirs of the teacher H. F. Mustaev, who worked at the school in 1962-1963, representing the Leningrad ballet school, the purpose of his business trip was "training teachers in classical dance for the newly opened choreographic school in Hanoi" and providing "assistance in creating Vietnamese folk dance for training at the school along with classics" ^{[9, p. 217]}.

In the first years of the school's activity, when the personnel problem was acute, accelerated professional training was carried out not only for performers, but also for teachers for the school itself. So, judging by the letters of Y.E. Brunak, in January 1962, graduates of the first set were already teaching at the school, they also became part of the experimental group ^[8]. At an early stage of activity, especially in wartime conditions, short- and long-term educational programs were developed to meet the need for professional artists for mobile brigades and national song and dance ensembles. The long-term, designed for a seven-year period of study was aimed at the professional training of the national ballet artists. On a short-term basis, they taught professional folk dance performance for four years. And the short-term two-year program was intended for current artists performing in regional ensembles and groups to improve their professional qualifications and confirm their skill level, where they had the opportunity to get acquainted with European classical dance. 

Each of the foreign teachers working at the school brought the features of the national school of choreographic education. For example, a graduate of the ballet master's department of GITIS, a student of Yu. A. Bakhrushin (1896 - 1973), L. M. Lavrovsky (1905-1967), R. V. Zakharov (1907 – 1984) created an experimental group of classical ballet dancers of Vietnam at the Vietnamese Dance School ^[8]. It was created on the model of the experimental choreographic section-laboratory operating in 1922-1930 at GITIS. Starting in 1963, the experimental group was led by a graduate of the Wu Viet Kuong School. With this experimental group, the repertoire for the Hanoi Ballet Theater was created" ^[8]. In 1961, in one of the letters sent from Hanoi to Moscow to Y. A. Bakhrushin, Y. E. Brunak described the concert program prepared at school.  In the program of the first section, Y.E. Brunak indicated "a concert of Soviet and Vietnamese numbers ...", including the dance of "Suvorov" and the big classical waltz from the Sleeping", in the second section "the 2nd act and the finale of the ballet "Shurale" ^[8], which was staged for her in 1952 on the stage of the Tatar opera and Ballet Theater (Kazan). Recalling the productions of Y.E. Brunak with students of the Vietnamese Dance School, People's Artist Thai Phien noted the huge contribution of Soviet choreographers, thanks to whom "the technique of performance has improved significantly. Many excellent artists not only perform in Vietnamese dance works, but also have the opportunity to stage classical foreign ballets, such as the ballet "Shurale" by Soviet composer Yarulin, staged by master Yanina Brunak at the school of Vietnamese dance in 1961, or the ballets "Giselle" (Adana); "Spartacus" (Khachaturian); "Swan lake" (Tchaikovsky)…» ^[14].

         The main result of the initial period of the school's activity was the possibility of staging the first ballet performances dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnamese Workers' Party and the 15th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the DRV. In 1960, two premieres of the ballets "Flame Nge Tinh" and "Tam and Kam" took place on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater (Hanoi), which marked the appearance of a new stage art in Vietnam, which became the starting point for the further development of the national ballet.

       The success of the school's activities at an early stage was due to the fact that the Soviet integrative model of choreographic education was taken as a basis. The curriculum for ethnic folk dances was built in accordance with the logic of the classical dance training program in Soviet choreographic schools. Soviet teachers Y.E. Brunak and H.F. Mustaev selected gifted children from all regions of the country, conducted primary professional selection. According to the memoirs of Y.E. Brunak's son N. P. Karachentsov, "... she herself traveled to villages, selected boys and girls for study" ^{[10, p. 20]}. A graduate of the first set of Wu Viet Kuong recalled that, having entered the dance school in 1959, he immediately became interested in "... classical European dances taught by Russian teachers ... from the Soviet Union ... which were Ms. Yanina Brunak and teacher Mustaev" ^[14]. Thai Phien spoke about the work of foreign teachers at the school: "... we welcomed many foreign dance experts, such as Kim Tae Hoang, Chu Hyuk from North Korea; Yanina Brunak, Mustaep, Ibrahim, Kulbubu, Vladimir Pak ... from the Soviet Union to directly teach basic ballet...  to compose and choreograph works for the creative teams of the "People's Central Committee Directorate", the "Main Directorate for Public Affairs of the Political Bureau" and the Vietnamese Dance School ^[15].        

       Since the foundation of the school and up to the present day, training in European classical dance (MC?C?) and ethnic folk dance (MDGDT) is mandatory in all specialties. These disciplines are included in all curricula of educational programs of vocational education. For a 7-year period of study, children aged from 12 years old who have graduated from grade 5 at the primary education level are recruited. Graduates of the 8th grade aged 14 to 15 years are accepted for entrance exams for 4-year educational programs. This age scale has become generally accepted for all educational institutions of the country that train performing artists. At the stage of secondary vocational education, training is carried out in parallel with the general secondary education of students from the fifth to the twelfth grades in accordance with the program approved by the Ministry of Education of the SRV. Much attention is paid to music education, subjects such as solfeggio and music theory are studied. 

          Teachers of the school tirelessly improved their professional qualifications in friendly socialist states, primarily in the USSR and China. For example, Fung Hong Kui received short-term training at the Department of Folk Dance at the Yerevan Choreographic School (USSR, 1958). In the 1966-1970s, the Leningrad Choreographic School taught European classical dance to the people's teacher Nguyen Thanh Thui, who in 1996-2003 led the Vietnamese College of Dance.  People's teacher Chan Kuok Kyong after studying at the Leningrad Choreographic School, in the period from 1983 to 1985 he interned at GITIS, and after returning to Vietnam], in 2004-2009 he headed the Vietnamese College of Dance. In 1968, Nguyen Shong Thui took an internship at the Leningrad Choreographic School, then in 1983-1985 she practiced at the Moscow Choreographic School. In the period from the 1960s to the 1980s, Do Minh Tien (1932 - 2006), Nguyen Thi Hien, Nguyen Nyu Binh, Kim Qui, Kim Dung, Chin Quoc Minh studied at GITIS. From 1980 to 1985, the head of the Department of Education, Wu Zuong Zung (1960-2021), studied there. In 2003 - 2019, at the Vietnamese College of Dance, Vu Zuong Dung held the position of Vice-rector for Academic Affairs. 

    At the Beijing Dance Academy, Doan Long, Bui Duc Chuk (1934-1967), Sa Kim Doa, Dinh Thi Yen, and others raised their professional level.  

    In 1986, after the CP announced the "Doi Moi" course of renewal of the country and the beginning of the policy of international integration, along with the transition to a market economy, opportunities for cooperation with capitalist states expanded, which could not but affect the development of the national system of general and vocational education. The beginning of the XXI century marked a new vector in the development of the national system of professional choreographic education. By the Decree of the Ministry of Education and Training of the SRV No. 1646 of April 5, 2001, the Vietnamese Dance School was transformed into the Vietnamese Dance College (Decree No. 1646/QD-BGD&?T-TCCB of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of April 5, 2001). The professional training of performing artists, teachers and choreographers has become correlated with the inevitable processes of integration into the international cultural and educational space. One of the priorities in the educational policy of the Vietnamese College of Dance was to increase the educational and methodological potential. The existing work programs were systematized and rethought, new teaching aids and other materials were prepared and published ^{[16, 17]}, including reference publications ^{[11, 12]}. Scientific research was carried out, the results of which were introduced into the educational process. The data obtained experimentally made it possible to make sure that the foreign dance teaching methods taken as a basis require their clarification. The training program for European classical dance was finalized based on the consideration of the anthropological data of the Vietnamese, their height and body proportions. The curricula and work programs have undergone minor adjustments. In comparison with Russian educational programs, the period of study at the Vietnamese College of Dance has been shortened. Some movements requiring high technique, execution and rarely used in artistic practice, for example Gargouillade, Jetet Entrelace entournant, Saut de basque in the Circle, Revoltade ending in Arabesque 1 and 3, Grand fouette cabriole battu, etc. The system of long-term training of performing artists at the level of secondary vocational education has been reduced from 7 to 6 years of training. Training in the specialty "Ballet Dancer" at the stage of secondary vocational training in college was 6.5 years with long-term training, and 4.5 years with short-term training. In 2010, the college developed and introduced into the educational process training programs for teachers and choreographers at the level of secondary special education. The curriculum was compiled by Vietnamese teachers- graduates of the leading Soviet choreographic schools Nguyen Thi Hien, Nguyen Thanh Thui, Chan Quoc Kyong, Trinh Quoc Minh, Wu Zuong Dung, etc., The music program for the lessons was compiled by the dean of the music faculty Nguyen Huong Loan. Music collections were published.

   In 2005, young performers who had received professional qualifications abroad were invited to the Vietnamese College of Dance as teachers for experimental training in modern Western dance. For example, Honored Artist Chang Li Li, who studied in Australia. Kuak Hoang Diep and Ha Thai Son, who received professional choreographic education in France. Honored Artist Kao Duc Toan, who studied modern dance in Hong Kong. Since modern dance is a new dance language associated with freedom of movement and the complexity of philosophical ideas that fill dance with content, it makes it especially attractive to young people, as well as a new challenge for modern choreographers, in 2006 a new discipline "Modern Dance" was included in the college curriculum. Thanks to the invited teachers, colleagues and students got acquainted with different styles of modern Western dance. However, serious methodological difficulties arose during the training. Each teacher taught different styles of modern dance, there was no unified methodology, and as a result, difficulties arose in compiling integrated work programs for different levels of training. Takako Suzuki (Germany), Regina Shopino (France), Cheryl Stock (Australia) ^[18], Moriyuma Kaji (Japan), Julia B. Johnson (USA) provided great assistance in the development of teaching materials. Thanks to the expert opinion of foreign experts and the opportunity to consult, it became possible to regularly update and supplement the work programs on modern dance in accordance with the most advanced world trends ^[19]. For example, techniques of rolling, turning, contact improvisational dance, etc. have been added to the work programs. Teaching different types of dance in general and modern dance in particular is important, since knowledge of dance is closely related to dance composition and is one of the foundations for creating modern performances. Modern dance as a subject of scientific research has become the subject of research by Vietnamese colleagues.

At the present stage, there are three specialized departments at the level of secondary vocational education. The Faculty of Foreign Dances teaches European classical dance, European characteristic dance (Russian, Spanish, Italian folk dances, etc.), duet classical dance and modern dance. At the Faculty of Ethnic Dances - Vietnamese folk dance and Vietnamese traditional Classical dance. In addition to teaching dances of the main ethnic groups, teachers also collect and research other folk dances, including them in national dance curricula. And another faculty that trains teachers and choreographers.

Since 1986, academic mobility opportunities have been expanding in front of the educational organization.  Students and graduates continued their studies at leading foreign choreographic art training centers, including the Queensland Institute of Technology at the Faculty of Fine Arts, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, the Guangzhou Dance School, etc. Horizons and cognitive opportunities have expanded due to the massive spread of the Internet infocommunication network.

Given the high performance of the Vietnamese College of Dance, the emergence of new types, genres and forms of choreographic art, as well as the personal creative achievements of teachers and graduates of the Vietnamese choreographic school, there was a need to transform the leading educational institution of the country and bring the system of choreographic education in line with progressive world trends. On January 3, 2019, by Decree of the Prime Minister of Vietnam No. 01/QD-TTG, the Vietnamese Dance College was reorganized into the Vietnamese Dance Academy (Decree No. 01/QD-TTG of the Prime Minister of January 3, 2019). From 2019 to the present, the rector of the Academy is the Doctor of Theory and History of Theater, Honored Artist Chan Van Hai. He is known as a soloist of the Vietnamese National Opera and Ballet Theater (from 1985 to 2002), who performed the leading roles of the classical ballets "Giselle", "Spartacus", "Swan Lake", etc.

There are still three specialized faculties in the structure of the Vietnamese Dance Academy: the Performing faculty; the pedagogical faculty and the ballet master. The performing faculty has two departments: foreign and folk dances. Training in European classical dance is carried out both at the stage of long-term (6-year training) and short-term (4-year) folk dance training.  The innovation was that two additional specializations were introduced at the short-term stage of professional training: modern dance and Vietnamese traditional classical dance. Currently, the faculty employs teachers who have been trained in both domestic and foreign educational institutions, including Russia, China, France, Australia, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong. 

At the present stage, the performing faculty teaches European classical dance, duet dance, characteristic dance, Vietnamese folk dance, Vietnamese traditional classical dance and modern dance. As noted above, the teaching of European classical dance is based on the tradition of the Russian ballet school. Most Vietnamese teachers use the soft and flexible arms of the classical dance school of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, combining them with the strong determination of the legs of the Moscow choreographic school. The teachers also managed to find a way to successfully integrate elements of the English and French classical dance teaching system into the curricula. In the class of duet and character dance, in addition to the basic techniques of support in duet dance, teachers use European techniques. For example, described by A. Dolin ^[20] N. Serebrennikov ^[21], E. Bomba ^[22], etc.  The evidence of successful training is the facts of recognition of the achievements of students and graduates of the Academy at international professional competitions. For example, the adagio "Don Quixote" performed by Academy graduates Wang Hiep and Kuin Chang was awarded a gold medal at the Festival of Music, Dance and Fine Arts Exhibition of students of Schools of Arts and Culture in 2008.

As for folk dances, the Academy currently teaches dances of 18 ethnic groups (there are 54 ethnic groups in total in the SRV).  The active collection and study of rich folklore material continues, on the basis of which the training programs on Vietnamese folk dance are replenished. In addition, the Academy has adopted five main characteristic dances: Russian, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian and Polish. Strong and soft styles stand out in them. Also, teachers of characteristic dance practice Uzbek, Georgian, Mexican dances, Tact dance, etc., which are usually not accepted in classical productions.

Vietnamese traditional dance is based on a combination of the traditional Vietnamese dance language Tuong (Tu?Ng) with Vietnamese folk dance and elements of national martial arts. The structure of the Vietnamese traditional dance lesson at the Academy is similar to the classical dance lesson. It develops as follows: at the machine, in the middle of the hall, small and large jumps, the technique of rotation of the Tuong dance. In addition, Vietnamese traditional dance also uses a variety of props, such as flags, bows, ribbons with bright colors and national patterns, etc. Traditional Vietnamese dance is gradually being institutionalized as the main basic discipline in the educational programs of teaching Vietnamese folk dance.  

The teaching of modern dance is based on a system developed at the University of Music and Performing Arts (Frankfurt am Main). The training uses techniques on the floor, supports, improvised interactions and sensations of movements. Regardless of the specialization, students of the performing, pedagogical and choreographic faculties study modern dance. It is worth emphasizing that at the present stage, students with great enthusiasm and passion comprehend the basics of modern Western dance, discovering new opportunities and creative facets.

If we talk about modern problems, then first of all it should be noted the inevitable aging of the teaching staff and the completion of professional activity by honored teachers of the Academy. Teachers of the third generation who have been trained in the world's leading choreographic centers, have extensive professional and creative experience, and are highly qualified, retire. Considering this circumstance, the Academy is currently implementing a personnel policy aimed at rejuvenating the teaching staff, especially teachers-choreographers of classical ballet. With the participation of the Ministry of Education of the SRV, international exchanges and internships are organized in leading foreign choreographic schools and ballet theaters of the world. For example, in recent years, the best young teachers and students of the Academy have been sent to the Lyon Academy of Dance (France), the Victorian Academy of Arts (Australia), the Guangxi Dance School (China), Mahasarakham University (Thailand). Currently, teachers are studying at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, and the Kazan State Institute of Culture.

 The second problem is connected with the global processes of mass art. The emergence of an extensive dance industry in Vietnam, including private educational organizations, is associated with the transition to a market economy. Concerns are caused by the fact that some works are created by choreographers for the sake of self-expression, propaganda of the so-called modern contemporary art, distorting the humanistic content and perception of dance. Official state professional education in the field of choreography, based on the best traditions, is a guarantor of the preservation of sovereignty and cultural identity. Despite the freshness of new trends, Vietnamese dance art cannot be torn away from its roots. In this regard, a discussion is unfolding in the professional community, generating many questions that need to be analyzed, both from a theoretical point of view and from the point of view of artistic practice. It is possible and necessary to accept the outside world in order to compare it with one's national culture, making the latter richer and more developed, but one should not minimize or lose elements, including folk dance, the value of which is determined by the cultural diversity and national pride of Vietnam. The Academy's educational and educational policy is based on the recognition of the fundamental importance of combining European classical, Vietnamese folk and modern dances. Vietnamese folk dance develops the soul and abilities, forms a sense of beauty in students' movements and body plasticity, builds an original dance vocabulary, helps to preserve national and cultural identity. European classical dance helps to develop the physical characteristics of students, instill performing technique, musicality, expressiveness. Modern dance teaches you to more open movements, allows you to think modernly and creatively and express yourself. 

Despite the problems that arise, it is necessary to state the success of the Academy's activities, which could not but affect the development of the national choreographic art. Thanks to the combination of national traditions and innovations introduced by foreign specialists, a breakthrough has occurred in the national choreographic art. The ethnic dance language has been significantly enriched by combining with the dance languages of European classical and modern Western dances. Creating a new way of acting, a new creation that gradually shapes Vietnamese dance in a modern direction, developing elements and techniques of European classical dance, the charm and characteristics of national dance and the openness and novelty of modern dance. This prevailing style at the present stage is commonly called "modern Vietnamese dance". He is distinguished by openness, freedom in the implementation of bold creative ideas. The peculiarity is that despite all the novelty of the forms, it is inextricably linked with traditional Vietnamese dance.  Modern dance language dominates the professional dance scene in Vietnam.

If we talk about the prospects for the development of the Vietnamese Dance Academy, then among the priorities is the introduction of elements of the Bologna system of level education from September 2023, the opening of master's and postgraduate courses in the main areas of training.    

Thus, summing up, it should be noted that the Vietnamese Dance School became the first specialized educational institution in the history of Vietnam, specially created for the professional training of folk dance performers, ballet dancers, choreographers, teachers. In accordance with the spirit of the times, the school underwent changes, eventually it was transformed into the Vietnamese College of Dance, and then into the Vietnamese Academy of Dance.  The initial period of the school's activity is associated with the process of professionalization of choreographic art and institutionalization of the national ballet as a special kind of scenic art. The Vietnamese dance school is rightfully considered the "cradle of Vietnamese choreographic art." The transition stage was the transformation of the dance school into a college and the building up of educational and methodological potential, which made it possible to create on this basis the Vietnamese Dance Academies, which trains highly qualified specialists at the level of secondary and higher professional education. With the socio-cultural development and genre-specific complication of choreography as a type of performing art, new tasks and priorities were set before the educational organization, its status changed. Throughout more than sixty years of activity of the Vietnamese choreographic school, its mission has remained unchanged – the preservation and development of the best traditions of Vietnamese dance art. In the national system of professional choreographic education, the Vietnamese Dance Academy is recognized as the best. It remains the leading training center for performing artists, choreographers and teachers. The Academy has been awarded high state awards. The Order of Labor of the First (1995), Second (1989), Third (1980) degrees. Order of Independence of the First (2014), Second (2009), Third (2004) degrees.  The Academy is a laureate of the Ho Chi Minh State Prize.