On the first day of recording, the Return Day crew spent a day filming a dance show "The Da River Ferryman". This is the opening act and also the guiding thread throughout this year's Return Day: Living Stream. The dance show was performed by H'mong dancer Sung A Lung and company.
To perform this performance, The Returns Day team brought water to Vietnam Television's S14 studio. This is an idea that has never been done before. The crew must not only ensure the technical aspects, but also the safety issues on set.
Sharing with VTV News, journalist Le Hoang Linh, a representative of the Return Day team, said: "Bringing water to the S14 studio is a very dangerous thing because the studio has a lot of electrical equipment. However, we all worked together and finished taping this scene today."
Meanwhile, dancer Sung A Lung said that to prepare for the dance show "The Da River Ferryman", he flew to Hanoi and began rehearsing with other dancers from December 17. And the process is not easy either. Finding a rehearsal place is difficult because there is nowhere with water similar to the dance scene, so he and the dancers have to practice on the floor.
"Rehearsing on a concrete floor is difficult when our fixtures are a ship," Sung A Lung said. "And when it comes to real acting, it's in a puddle of water like this, it's very different and difficult because it's slippery. I've never done a dance like this before."
"Rehearsing on a concrete floor is difficult when our fixture is a ship," Sung A Lung said. "And when it comes to real acting, in a water pond like this, it's very different and difficult because it's slippery. I've never performed a dance like this before."
Sharing more with VTV News about the reason for taking the name "Living Stream" as a theme for Return Day 2022, journalist Le Hoang Linh said: "After 2 years of suffering and hardships from COVID-19, what each of us wants the most right now is a healthy life, peace and that all activities return to normal."
"Life is sacred and precious, but also fragile, and requires each of us to work together to preserve it. It is like sailing in the middle of a raging river. As rowers, we can be dragged by at any time, but if we are brave, intelligent and united to steer our ship through the cliffs and the dangerous whirlpools, we will find the "Living Stream". We take this name being inspired by the short-story "The Da River Ferryman" by the writer Nguyen Tuan.
"The Living Stream is a metaphor for everyone's efforts to overcome hardships caused by COVID-19. It deals with the love of people in tribulation, the positive things that lift us up from negative spirals and sufferings. The show tells stories of new ideas to revive businesses, production, create livelihoods and bring a more prosperous life to the people. "Living Stream" has the power to spread, impacting the entire community. It is like the breath of life when we are in trouble, or the light of hope in the dark tunnel, which will give us confidence in the good things in life."
At the end of the conversation, journalist Le Hoang Linh said: "This year we produce Return Day in a more difficult context due to the uncertain situation of the epidemic and none of our plans are 100% certain. Due to an outbreak of disease, we were unable to travel. We also had problem with some guests. Therefore, we had to get used to that uncertainty during the realization process. We always have a plan B. After making all the efforts and with a lot of support, fortunately, Return Day has also been completed to be broadcast."
