The Trieu Khuc village in Hanoi has long been famous for its hallmark “Con di danh bong” (The flirtatious girls who play the tom-tom) dance, in which young men are dressed like girls and make girl-resembling gestures and movements. The dance is currently performed at the village fest until Feb 18.

The village, in Tan Trieu commune, has been long known for their unique dance, “Con di danh bong”, in which young men are dressed in girls’ traditional costumes and wear heavy make-up.

The “girls” also give one another flirtatious glances and make loving, feminine gestures, which turns the dance into one of the country’s most alluring ones. 

According to Trieu Dinh Hong, head of the Trieu Khuc Bong Dance Club, the dance dates back to around the year 905, when Phung Hung led a resistance war against the China’s Tang troops.

The general decided to pitch camp at Trieu Khuc village to allow his soldiers to take rest and unwind.

With no women available, he let some of his male soldiers dress up like girls and composed the dance to boost his soldiers’ morale.

Another reason for the choice of males in the dance is that women remained seriously discriminated against back then, thus they weren’t allowed to enter temples, where the dance was usually performed.

“Con di danh bong” quickly gained in popularity and has become integral to all of the village’s fests.

To be selected into the dance cast, young village men are supposed to be good students, have a good-looking face and a slim, tall body.

However, in today’s society, few young men are willing to learn the feminine art.

“We were really embarrassed at first for having to apply make-up, wear girls’ costumes and make sissy movements. However, it didn’t take long for us to appreciate its beauty and get “addicted” to it,” said Nguyen Huy Cong, a club member.

The success of the dance lies in the “female” artists’ ability to be emotionally expressive on their faces, looks and gestures and the harmony and chemistry between the artists in each pair.

With all hard work and devotion, they seek consolation in the audiences’ enthusiastic applauses and take pride in preserving one of the country’s time-honored traditions.

“I come to the fest every year for the dance, which is really fantastic,” said Nguyen Thi Van, an audience member from Ha Dong.

The dance is now no longer limited to the village fest but has now been increasingly performed at other large-scale and national festivals, including the grand ceremony to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi in 2010 and National Day celebrations.