Bóng
2024
Performance with balloons, strobe lights, 2 pop songs
10 minutes
The performance was developed during the performance residency Dựng 1 (Act 1) organized by Project Đẩy Sàn, advised by The Run Theater, supported by The Goethe Institute in Ho Chi Minh city and Nguyen Art Foundation. It was initially inspired by the song “Chiếc bóng” (the shadow) by the late singer Minh Thuận.
“Bóng” means “shadow” or “balloon” in Vietnamese and is also a colloquial term for “being queer.” The “Bóng”performance is a freedom ritual that liberates the spirit and celebrates overcoming past challenges in personal and collective queer identity expression.
open the door to reach the blue moon
look straight into the piece of light
go up in smoke the old
burned out shadow
a prayer ritual
to become what freedom is
i breathed into a balloon
hope it flies up to the sky
it grew and flourished
as big as life can be
there is light
there is love
there is still shadow all around
put my hands together
to pray
to all the joy
to all torn balloon bodies in the shattered room
in each other arms in our dreams
free people in the growing sky
i will blow until the depths of sky won’t be seen no more
mở cửa ra để lên đến mặt trăng xanh
nhìn thẳng vào mảnh sáng
thiêu rụi chiếc bóng cũ đã khét đen
một nghi lễ nguyện cầu làm người tự do
tôi thổi vào bong bóng
mong nó bay lên trời
nó sinh sôi nảy nở
rộng khắp một quãng đời
còn ánh sáng còn tình yêu
còn bóng trên khắp nhân gian
chắp tay lạy những niềm vui
những xác bóng bay trong căn phòng tan vỡ
nắm lấy nhau trong những giấc mơ
những người tự do trong khoảng trời đang lớn
tôi sẽ thổi mãi cho quãng trời thênh thang thênh thang thênh thang