Vietnamese Cultural Performances at Library Sunday

In Vietnamese tradition, the Mid-Autumn Festival, or Tet Trung Thu, is usually celebrated around late September or early October based on the lunar calendar. This year it falls on Sept. 12.

On Sunday, enjoy an afternoon of free cultural performances from four groups: 

Sân Khấu Việt Cali, Milpitas' bilingual theater group, will start off with a skit of four Vietnamese youth, said Maria Nguyen, a parent whose daughter is performing. The youth are Vietnamese immigrants who live in four different countries, and meet at a music summer camp in America. They must decide what to perform at an upcoming show, and choose a Mid-Autumn song called Trung Thu Của Em written by  Đào Nguyên.

The Hot Peppers, an ensemble of the Milpitas music school Pacific Music Association, will perform a 45-minute set of Vietnamese folk, pop, and other pieces written from around the world, said director Ánh-Hiền Ngô.

Most of the songs are comprised of vocals and violins, she said. One piece in particular is a centuries old courtship song from Northern Vietnam. It's rare to find youth music groups outside of the United States playing it, she said, and the technique is quite challenging.

Wings of the Hundred Viet, a San Jose-based dance group for youth, will have narration set to choreography. This season's show tells the story of the ancestry of the Vietnamese people, according to the founder and artistic director Lisa Trinh. 

Each summer, youth ages 13-30 work on a choreographed performance as part of a free dance program for Wings of the Hundred Viet. This show The Journey to Thăng Long is the result of their hard work.

The Mid-Autumn Festival at Milpitas Public Library will also feature hip hop performers from the Mirage Group, as well as calligraphy by Ms. Hoàng Cúc & Mr. Cung Tâm.

What: Mid-Autumn Festival

Where:  auditorium, 160 N. Main St, Milpitas

When: Sunday, September 18, 2-4 p.m.

Pricing: Free