Published:  00:00 Wednesday - June 30, 2010

An extravaganza featuring traditional dances from the old capital city will be held in Hanoi in October to celebrate the city's 1,000th anniversary.

The two-hour performance is being staged by People's Artist Chu Thuy Quynh, chairwoman of the Vietnam Dancers' Association, and Nguyen Van Bich, chairman of the Hanoi Association of Dance Artists.

Hanoi has nearly 100 traditional dances closely linked with the city's history, including folk, royal and religious dances, Bich said. He expected that many people would enjoy the performance because the dances would help them understand more about the history, attitudes and spiritual lives of the Thang Long people.

Under the theme Opening the Thang Long Festival – Finding Old Marks, the performance will feature over 500 professional and amateur dancers from the Hanoi Association of Dance Artists.

The first part of the show will feature flames rising from mountains and hills and then an image of the Hong (Red) River, symbolising the harmony between fire and water.

The second part will feature a Giao Long dance from Le Mat village in Long Bien district and will recount a legend of a young farmer who saved a princess from a serpent and was rewarded with the control of 13 regions, corresponding to the modern wards of Ba Dinh district.

The extravaganza will conclude with dancers waving flags, dragons and weapons in a piece entitled Celebrating the Victory of Thang Long.

The performance will take place on October 3 at Hanoi's King Ly Thai To Square.