The person who spreads the art of rowing in the mining land

In the middle of the bustling mining area, the sound of the Cheo drum still resounds from a small house on Ly Thuong Kiet Street (Cua Ong). There, artist Nguyen Van Tuat, a native of Thai Binh (now Hung Yen province), is tirelessly teaching and preserving the soul of the Cheo singing art.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat was born in 1958 in a land rich in traditional Cheo culture. His childhood was associated with the smooth singing that resounded from the communal house yard, village festivals, and even radio broadcasts with the sound of Chau drums and familiar Cheo songs. The ancient Cheo melodies penetrated the soul of the young Nguyen Van Tuat as a natural thing, like the unceasing flow of his homeland's traditions.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat (standing, white shirt) enthusiastically guides the art of singing Cheo to members of several art clubs in Quang Hanh and Cam Pha wards.

When the war broke out, Mr. Tuat followed the call of the Fatherland and joined the army, both fighting and serving the cultural work of Military Region 5, bringing his singing voice to serve the soldiers on the battlefield. After 1975, Mr. Tuat transferred to the Quang Ninh mining area and in 1985, he transferred to Mong Duong Coal.

"I thought that being far from my homeland meant being far from rowing, but the fate of this new land revived it, becoming a place to continue to sow the seeds of passion and dedication to traditional art," Mr. Tuat recalled.

At first, there were only performances in the activities of Mong Duong Coal Company, and from those simple performances, the sound of Cheo singing gradually spread throughout the residential areas. Workers from many rural areas such as Nghe An , Thanh Hoa... gathered here, finding harmony in the Cheo melodies of their homeland. They sang together, learned together, and then the Cheo movement gradually grew.

Mr. Tuat is always enthusiastic in teaching enthusiasts, especially the young generation, about the art of singing Cheo.

Not only a performer, Mr. Tuat also opened Cheo singing instruction classes right in Mong Duong, Cua Ong, then spread to Quang Hanh, Cam Thach (now Quang Hanh ward), Cam Binh, Cam Trung (now Cam Pha ward)... Thanks to that, dozens of Cheo classes were established, taught, and movements were launched by him. The elderly, the young, from workers to retired cadres, all found joy and passion in Cheo singing under his dedicated guidance.

He believes that to successfully teach Cheo, first of all, one must make people love Cheo and be passionate about Cheo. Therefore, he not only teaches singing but also directly performs, instructs each gesture, how to play a role, and emphasizes the lyrics to make them soulful. The nights of singing echoing late into the night in the neighborhoods, the classes lasting from day to day, etc. become beautiful memories in the journey of preserving the art of Cheo in the mining land.

In particular, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat is also a multi-talented artist, active in both music and theater. He became a member of the Quang Ninh Literature and Arts Association in 1992, and is the author of songs imbued with the character of the mining region such as "Canh tho lo chung toi", "Tho lo vao ca" and many stage plays that have been staged and performed widely at art festivals and performances.

With his talent and persistent dedication, he was awarded the title of Artist of the Mining Region (1996), received the Medal for the Cause of the Mass Theater (1992), and was awarded the title of Excellent Director at the National Amateur Arts Festival (2007)...

Although times have changed and the Cheo melodies in modern life have sometimes been forgotten, for Mr. Nguyen Van Tuat, Cheo has never belonged to the past. "The sound of Cheo drums and Cheo songs must continue to resound in the land and sky of the Mining Region, to fuel the next generation's understanding of tradition. Traditional art is not just a memory, but a rhythm of life, a culture, and their own soul" - Mr. Tuat confided.

Amidst the coal dust, the sound of excavators and trucks going back and forth, the old artist's cheo singing voice still resounds passionately and deeply, as proof that the beauty of traditional culture is still strong and alive in the mining land.

Ha Phong

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nguoi-giu-hon-lan-toa-nghe-thuat-cheo-tren-dat-mo-3364734.html