Press Conference.
Location: 59 Van Mieu Street, 4th floor
Time: Friday, May 14th 2010 

Vào ngày 26 tháng 6 tại Nhà hát Lớn Hà Nội, khán giả có thể thưởng thức một phong cách Opera Việt Nam độc đáo, chị Eleanor Clapham, hoặc được biết đến với tên Hoàng Lan, chị nổi tiếng tại Việt Nam như là người Phương Tây đầu tiên  học và thể hiện nhạc kịch Việt Nam. Chị đã làm nổi lên làn sóng tại Việt Nam vào năm 2006 khi chị là người duy nhất trình diễn tại Nhà hát Lớn Hà Nội với sự thông thạo về nghệ thuật cổ Việt Nam là Tuồng và Chèo. Tất cả tiền thu được từ buổi trình diễn sẽ dành để ủng hộ KOTO.

Bây giờ chị sẽ quay trở lại Việt Nam như là cơn bão một lần nữa cùng với sự ra mắt của album “ Sự nhận thức”. Đó là sự hợp nhất của âm thanh nhạc Pop hiện đại và ảnh hưởng của nhạc cổ điển Việt Nam. Chương trình sẽ kết hợp nhạc pop cùng với các nhạc sỹ Việt Nam, trình diễn khiêu vũ và trang phục.

Đính kèm là một câu chuyện (tiếng Việt & tiếng Anh) nói về cuộc hành trình của Eleanor và sự kiên trì để đạt được mục tiêu và giấc mơ. Dành ít phút và làm quen với các hành động trong giai đoạn trung tâm sẽ sớm được nhìn thấy tại  Nhà hát Lớn Hà Nội.

KOTO là một nhà hàng không lợi nhuận và trung tâm dạy nghề mà thay đổi cuộc sống đường phố và thanh thiếu niên có hoàn cảnh khó khăn tại Việt Nam. Nhân viên của KOTO rất may mắn trải nghiệm hàng ngày bằng cách nhìn các học viên phát triển từ nhút nhát trở thành người lớn trẻ họ là những người khan hiếm chuyên nghiệp trong ngành dịch vụ. Trách nhiệm công dân cộng đồng sẵn sàng nắm lấy những thách thức ở phía trước. Tài trợ là điều làm cho KOTO có thể tiếp tục làm nhiệm vụ.

Tầm nhìn của KOTO là tin vào quyền của những người trẻ tuổi để sống cuộc sống của họ cùng với những kỹ năng, phẩm giá và lòng tự trọng. KOTO trao quyền cho những người trẻ  trong chương trình với những kỹ năng sống cần thiết để có những quyết định đúng đắn, có sự tự tin và đầu tư tích cực vào bản thân và cộng đồng của họ.

Mỗi học viên hoàn thành một chương trình 2 năm đào tạo về dịch vụ được Quốc tế công nhận, tập trung vào chuyên ngành Bếp hoặc Bồi bàn, pha chế cũng như là lớp học về Tiếng Anh và Kỹ năng sống. KOTO bắt đầu 10 năm trước đây như là một cửa hàng bán bánh Sanwich nhỏ để giúp một nhóm trẻ em đường phố. KOTO Hà Nội đã đào tạo được hơn 300 học viên và bây giờ bao gồm cả nhà hàng với 200 chỗ ngồi và dịch vụ Tiệc của KOTO. KOTO Sài Gòn vừa mới thành lập tại thành phố Hồ Chí Minh với 25 học viên cho khóa học đầu tiên.

“Thành tựu lớn nhất đối với người đã giúp bạn là để xem bạn đứng trên hai chân của mình và sau đó lần lượt giúp đỡ những người khác mà nhắc nhở bạn về bản thân mình, bởi vì nếu bạn biết Một, bạn nên dạy Một”. Trích lời anh Jimmy Phạm, Nhà sáng lập & Giám đốc điều hành KOTO Quốc tế.

Nhấn vào đường dẫn này để xem video:

Để biết thêm thông tin, mời bạn truy cập vào trang web: koto.com.au

Hoặc liện hệ: Eleanor Clapham

MEDIA RELEASE
KOTO Press Conference
Where: KOTO on Van Mieu, 4th Floor
When: Friday, May 14, 2010 @ 9:00am

Unique Vietnamese Opera @ Hanoi Opera House
First-ever Westerner to Study and Perform!
Proceeds to go to KOTO - Know One, Teach One


On June 26th at Hanoi Opera House, audiences can enjoy a unique style of Vietnamese Opera. Eleanor Clapham, or otherwise known as Hoang Lan, is famous in Vietnam as the 1st and only Westerner to study and perform Vietnamese Opera. She made waves in Vietnam in 2006 when she performed a one-woman show at the Opera House in Hanoi displaying her mastery of the ancient Vietnamese Art of Tuong and Cheo. All proceeds from the performance will go towards supporting the organisation KOTO.

Now she is returning to take Vietnam by storm once again this time with her the launch of her debut album 'The Awakening'. It is a fusion of modern pop sound and the ancient Vietnamese influence. The show will combine the pop music with Vietnamese musicians, dance and costumes and will be quite a spectacle. 

Attached is a story (Vietnamese and English) that shares Eleanor's journey and perseverance to accomplish her goals and dreams. Take a moment and acquaint yourself with the new center stage act soon to be seen at Hanoi Opera House.

KOTO is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. KOTO staff are lucky enough to experience this everyday by seeing trainees grow from timid, shy teenagers into young adults who are not only sought-after hospitality professionals, but also well-rounded, responsible community-minded citizens ready to embrace the challenges that lie ahead. Sponsorship and donation is what makes KOTO possible and continues the mission.

The KOTO Vision is to believe in the right of every young person to live their life with skills, dignity and pride. KOTO empowers young people in the program with necessary life skills to make the right decisions, have confidence and invest positively in themselves and their community.

Each trainee completes a 2-year internationally accredited hospitality training program focusing on Kitchen or Front-Of-House as well as English language and Life Skills classes. KOTO began 10 years ago as a small sandwich shop to help a group of street kids. The Hanoi team has since trained in excess of 300 trainees, and now includes a 200-seat restaurant and KOTO Catering Services. KOTO Saigon recently opened its doors in Ho Chi Minh City with its first class of 25 trainees.

“The greatest accomplishment for the person who has helped you, is to see you stand on your own two feet and then in turn help someone else that reminds you of yourself, because if you Know One, then you should Teach One.” ~ Mr Jimmy Pham, KOTO Founder and Director

Nhan vao link nay de xem video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw072_D9Ds8

For more information: koto.com.au
For information, please contact:
 

Ban co bao gio nghi rang nhung dieu minh uoc mo trong doi no qua xa voi tam tay? Ban da tung bi ai noi voi ban la dung mo uoc cao xa va hay quay ve voi hien thuc de nhung mo uoc do danh cho tre em? Day la cau chuyen cua 1 co gai nguoi da tung leo len doi mo uoc cua minh, nguoi sau do da nga xuong vi bo cuoc va cuoi cung tro lai voi chinh minh voi nhung gi ma co tung mo uoc.

Vao ngay 22/12/2006, hang trieu nguoi giai rac cac mien trong nuoc ngoi truoc min hinh TV cua minh chung kien nhung dieu ma ho chua bao gio thay.

Nguoi nuoc ngoai dau tien bieu dien chuyen nghiep ve nghe thuat Tuong va Cheo

Nam 2006 Co gai Uc ten la Eleanor Clapham hoac ten tieng Viet la Hoang Lan da mang con soc cho khan gia Viet Nam sau khi co bieu dien mua, hat Tuong va Cheo tai nha hat lon thanh pho Ha Noi phat hanh tren TV toan quoc. Sau khi gat hai duoc nhung thanh cong cua 2 nam miet mai luyen tap. Bong dung Eleanor biet mat. De lai nhung thac mac cua khan gia rang khong biet nhung gi da xay ra voi Co.

Sau 4 nam ap u Eleanor da quay tro lai Viet Nam de dien nhung sang tac cua minh voi album cua co mang ten ‘Tro lai’. Vao Ngay 26 Thang 6 Eleanor se dien o Nha Hat Lon cung voi dan nhac hien dai va truyen thong mang phong cach moi, tre. Tat ca nhung giai dieu, trang phuc, am nhac va mua dieu the hien su ket hop giua van hoa phuong tay va van hoa phuong dong.

Trong album nay Co dien ta ‘ nhung gi ma Co luon mong muon sang tac, su ket hop giua nhac tre Phuong Tay va nhac truyen thong Phuong Dong’

Toan bo doanh thu cua buoi bieu dien se tai tro cho quy tu thien giup tre em duong pho KOTO ( Known one teach one.Biet mot day mot)

Nhung Eleanor Clapham la ai? Tieu su cua Co la gi?  

Eleanor ton rat nhieu thoi gian trong nhung nam dau doi voi cam giac nhu nguoi dung truoc nga ba duong ma khong biet phai ve dau. Co dieu Co biet la minh se tro thanh nghe si, nhung khong biet phai lam the nao de canh tranh voi nhung nghe si dang chi, dang anh nhung nguoi duoi mat Co gioi hon nhieu, nang khieu hon nhieu. Nam 2005, trong khi dang chuan bi ket thuc bang cu nhan dai hoc van hoa cua truong dai hoc Wollongong. Eleanor thay tuong lai cua minh mo mit sau khi Co roi khoi khoa hoc opera, moi nguoi noi voi Co la khong du nang khieu can thiet de tro thanh nghe si hat opera. Co bat dau tiem kiem nhieu con duong khac nhau va may man thay Co co dip tiep suc voi mot nguoi nghe si nguoi Uc goc Viet ten la Ta Duy Binh trong truong trinh giao luu bieu dien Tuong cua anh tai truong noi ma Co dang hoc. Eleanor da bi cuon hut boi su uyen chuyen cua nhung dieu mua va tieng hat ma Co chua bao gio thay trong doi. Co biet la minh co the hoc ky nang nay sau do se giup Co sang tao ra mot loai hinh nghe thuat khac biet voi nhung nguoi di truoc. Khi Eleanor hoi y kien tu anh Ta Duy Binh la minh se den Viet Nam de hoc nghe thuat truyen thong Tuong thi anh noi rang no se rat kho doi voi Co boi truoc tien Co phai hoc tieng Viet va may man thi Co co the hoc duoc cach mua cua Tuong nhung khong bao gio Co co the hat Tuong duoc vi no rat kho, tham chi doi voi nguoi Viet Nam. 

Ta Duy Binh thua nhan rang anh khong nghi la Eleanor se thuc hien nhung dieu minh noi. Anh da dua so dien thoai cua nhung nguoi o Hanoi neu Co can su giup do. Voi su bat ngo cua ban be va gia dinh Eleanor len duong den Viet Nam tim kiem uoc mo hoi la cua minh: Bieu dien chuyen nghiep ve nghe thuat truyen thong Viet Nam. Sau khi den Viet Nam Co song voi mot gia dinh nghe si cheo Co Tuyet va Chu Duc. Ca 2 nguoi khong ai noi tieng Anh. Co Tuyet dan tro thanh nguoi Me thu 2 cua Co va cuoi cung la co giao day Cheo cho Eleanor. Co bat dau nhung bai hoc dau tien voi nhieu nghe si Tuong khac nhau, khong ai trong nhung Thay Co noi tieng anh. Nhung bai hoc cua Co bao gom mua, hat, bieu dien, va mua dao, hoan toan khac voi nhung gi ma Co da tung hoc. Tat ca di nhien bang tieng Viet.

De vuot qua nhung kho khan ve ngon ngu. Eleanor dung may anh quay phim nhung gi co hoc trong ngay sau do danh rat nhieu thoi gian hang toi de hoc. Co da trai qua biet bao nhieu thoi gian de tap luyen nhung dieu mua va cach hat cua nghe thuat Tuong.

Eleanor da kien nhan va hieu hoc nhung co doi mat voi rat nhieu nhung dong tac kho.

Ngay thu 1

Du tieng Viet cua Co bat dau tien bo them mot chut sau may ngay nhung hom nay toi nhan ra ngon ngu giao tiep qua la mot van de lon, dieu nay cua nhu voi cac Thay Co.

Co giao cua toi ten la Kim Hue, rat gioi va nghiem khac. Co rat noi tieng o Viet Nam trong lang nghe thuat, Toi that may man duoc hoc tu nhung Thay Co gioi.

Co day toi mot vai dong tac mua can ban ngay hom nay va toi thay no qua la phuc tap. Sau mot vai lan quen dong tac mua Co giao tro len nghiem khac hon. Day la lan dau tien toi nhan ra rang su khac biet ngon ngu da can tro toi. Tu truoc toi nay toi da rat tu tin voi von tieng Viet cua minh nhung hom nay sau bai hoc da lam toi that vong voi minh. Toi bat dau tu hoi minh. Minh o day de lam gi?

Ngay Thu 2

Sau bai hoc dau tien khong duoc xuon xe Toi da danh rat nhieu gio hoc co gang tap luyen nhung dieu mua, vi no rat kho nen toi da phai xem di xem lai qua video de tap theo cho den khi cam thay minh phat dien len. Trong bai hoc moi Co giao muon toi mua cho Co xem nhung gi Co da day. Lan nay Toi tu tin hon va mua dung nhu nhung gi da hoc. Sau khi xem toi mua co cuoi va tin tuong toi hon. Toi nghi rang Co co them cam thay duoc su dam me cuong nhiet va Toi se khong lam cho Co that vong.

Eleanor ngay hoc mot cham hon, gioi hon. Co danh toan bo thoi gian sau gio hoc tap luyen voi nhung bai hoc cua minh va su tien bo cua Co da chiem duoc su thien cam cua cac Thay Co

Sau 2 nam miet mai ren luyen, Eleanor ky nang bat dau tien bo va Co bat dau co su chu y cua bao chi, dai va truyen hinh. Co bat dau gat hai nhung thanh cong sau mot thoi gian dai miet mai tap luyen. Co bieu dien live show cua minh tai Nha Hat Lon HaNoi, Phat hanh tren TV toan quoc va nuoc ngoai gom My, Phap, Duc, Thai Lan va tham chi nuoc Uc noi ma Co sinh ra va lon len. Sau khi bieu dien trich doan Cheo noi tieng Thi Mau Len Chua tren VTV4 Co bat dau co cai ten la Thi Mau toc Vang. Co da duoc moi tham gia bieu dien tai hoi nghi APEC, hai dem giao thua voi NSUT hai Xuan Hinh. Tu mot nguoi nuoc ngoai xa la di lai quanh khu van cong Mai Dich tro thanh guong mat quen thuoc voi cai ten Thi Mau toc vang doi voi moi nguoi. Co vinh hanh co su tai tro cua Bo Van Hoa Thong Tin, Nha Hat Tuong Viet Nam, Nha Hat Cheo Viet Nam, cong ty TRG International, Bao An Ninh The Gioi, khach san Melia…

 Sau nhung thanh cong nay moi nguoi ai cung nghi rang Co se rat hanh phuc voi minh. Nhung sau nhung thanh cong va nhung trang vo tay cua khan gian khi man hinh kep xuong Eleanor bat dau phai doi mat voi nhung ap luc dan den su nguc nga cua minh.

Toi da lam viec lam viec va lam viec. Va khong bao gio danh thoi gian de nghi ngoi, Toi da danh toan bo suc luc cua co the va tinh than va su dam me cua minh va toi da co duoc nhung su chu y cua moi nguoi va nhung loi moi cho nhung buoi bieu dien. Nhung tat ca nhung su thanh cong dot bien nay xay ra voi toi. Do la mot dieu khong doan duoc va toi khong biet phai lam the nao. No rat kho de giai thich nhung gi da xay ra trong toi nhung tat ca toi co the noi la Toi da qua nghiem khac voi ban than minh, doi hoi hon tu ban than va cuoi cung dan den sup do.

Be ngoai Eleanor la nhung thanh cong nhung ben trong Co cam thay minh nhu la mot dieu that bai. Thay la tiep tuc vuon len tren su thanh cong cua minh Co da chon con duong quay tro lai que nha Uc. Tat ca Thay Co va moi nguoi ngac nhien voi su bien mat dot xuat cua Co. Su sup do tinh than da kien Co tu bo tat ca.

Dieu nay, Toi nghi day la thoi diem thap nhat cua doi toi. Neu ai do hoi toi tai sao la roi bo Viet Nam Toi chi biet khoc va noi’ Toi khong biet tai sao’ Toi cam giac hut hang, khong loi thoat. Toi tu mot nguoi noi tieng o Viet Nam den mot nguoi boi ban tai nha hang o Sydney lam nghe pha café. Khoang ai biet va quan tam den nhung thanh cong cua minh. Cam giac nhu cuoc doi nay chang co y nghia gi.

Eleanor lam viec va suy nghi trong suot mot nam, thu lam nhung viec khac nhung khong co gi mang den cho co niem vui va say me. Cuoi cung Eleanor quyet dinh quay tro lai truong dai hoc de tiem kiem 1 nghe moi. Nhung truoc khi bat dau lam dieu do, Dieu huyen bi xay ra.

Toi nhan duoc email cua 1 dao dien nguoi Singapore. Anh ta noi rang anh da doc nhieu bai viet ve Eleanor tren internet, Anh ta bat dau dung mot vo dien va muon toi bay sang Singapore de bieu dien, toan bo ve may bay va khac san anh ta se tra. Luc dau toi khong tin vao dieu nay, nhung khi nhan duoc ve may bay thi toi rat vui. Sau suot mot nam loay hoay voi nhieu du dinh khac nhau va dieu nay xay ra, giong nhu ai do noi voi toi rang dung tu bo qua som, rang Toi van con mon no voi minh, no cho toi suy nghi den nhung gi minh that su mo uoc. Sau khi bieu dien tai Singapore tren duong ve que toi nghe tham VietNam. Toi dao choi tren pho phuong Hanoi va toi nhan ra tai sao minh roi Viet Nam va Toi thuc su muon lam gi voi cuoc doi minh.

Toi da co gang ren luyen de hoan hao nghe thuat truyen thong nhu nhung nguoi nghe nhan mong muon va bao ton, nhung de lam gi? Toi co the lam gi voi nhung dieu minh da hoc? Toi biet rang Toi khong muon to bo tat ca nhung gi minh da hoc vi do qua la mot su phung phi. Nhung toi cung khong muon quay tro lai qua kho khan ve su nghiem khac voi ban than trong mot nghe thuat dac sac nay. Toi phai tim ra con duong ma toi co the dung nhung gi Toi da hoc sau do sac tac ra nhung tac pham nghe thuat cua chinh minh. Day cung la tat ca nhung gi ma toi tung mo uoc tu khi con be. Tro thanh nha nguoi viet nhac. Vay Toi quay tro lai Uc va bat dau bat tay vao lam viec.

Toi da danh nhieu tieng nghe lai nhung thu am ca cac bai hoc khi o Viet Nam. Toi muon sang tac nhac su dung nhung gi ma minh da hoc tai Viet Nam cung mot luc ket hop voi nhung gi ma trai tim minh muon sang tac. Toi muon sang tac mot the loai nhac co chuyen ket hop voi hien dai. Nhac tre

Toi viet nhung bai hat tu trai tim minh ra, qua nhung chang duong ma Toi da di qua, bao gom dau kho, mat mat, khong dinh huong, khong biet di ve dau, thuc tinh, nhan ra minh muon gi, tinh yeu, hanh phuc, hy vong va run so. Tat ca tu trong trai tim toi.. trong tung not nhac…

Eleanor hien bieu dien cho hang tuan cho nhung dam cuoi cua cong dong nguoi Viet va bieu dien nhung tac pham cua co o cac club khac nhau.

Sau 1 nam 6 thang miet mai sang tac va bieu dien. Eleanor mo uoc cuoi cung da tro thanh hien thuc. Eleanor quay tro lai que huong thu 2 cua co Viet Nam, Lan nay de thu am nhung tac pham ma co sang tac. Co lam viec voi rat nhieu nghe si noi tieng tai Viet Nam trong do co con gai cua Co Tuyet ten Huong Sao.

Toi muon su dung nhac cu cua Viet Nam trong thu am cua minh, nhung nghe si nay chuyen ve nhac truyen thong va hien dai. Toi rat may man duoc lam viec voi nhung nghe si nay.

Ngay 26 Thang 6 nam 2010 Eleanor tat ca mo uoc cua Co se thanh hien thuc. Eleanor se dien o nha hat Lon Ha Noi , hoi hop cho doi buoi bieu dien ma Co tin la minh se khong la cho khan gia that vong. Trong buoi bieu dien nay Eleanor se bieu dien 12 tac pham ma Co da sang tac, bieu dien cung voi ban nhac Huong Sao. Trong do Eleanor co bieu dien mua trong, quat, co va mua kiem. Tat ca cung ket hop voi giong hat cua Co duoi su co vu cua khan gia.

Du cho tat ca sang tac cua Toi viet bang tieng Anh nhung Toi se dich mot ban sang tieng Viet dac biet cho buoi bieu dien nay, Toi muon khan gia hieu duoc nhung gi toi muon noi the hien qua nhung tac pham cua minh.

Toi that su tin rang, voi ca trai tim minh, rang chung ta co the dat bat cu dieu gi minh mo uoc va mong muon. Chi co dieu rang minh phai vuot qua kho khan, vuot qua chinh minh voi niem dam me va khat khao chay bong cua minh muon lam mot dieu gi do trong doi.

Ban tieng anh 

Have you ever thought that the things you dream are too far to grasp? Have you been told to come back down to earth and leave dreaming for children? Here is a story of a girl who has climbed, who has fallen and who rose up again and took hold of everything she’d ever desired;

On Dec 22 2006, millions people across Vietnam sat in front of their televisions looking on in amazement as they witnessed something they had never seen before.

The 1st and only Non Vietnamese Person to master the ancient art of Tuong and Cheo.

In 2006 A 23 year old Australian girl by the name of Eleanor Clapham or other wise known as Hoang Lan took Vietnam by storm and attracted a wave of attention when she performed a one woman show, broadcast across the country showcasing her mastery of Ancient Vietnamese Song, Dance and Acting. In this mist of her seemingly sudden success Eleanor then completely disappeared. Leaving people wondering what happened to her.

4 years on she has returned to Vietnam once again taking the country by storm, but this time with the release of her debut album ‘The Awakening’ On 26^th June 2010 she will be performing at the Hanoi Opera House demonstrating an exciting mixture of ancient and modern sounds, costumes, music and dance.

An album she describes as ‘what I always set out to create, a perfect fusion of contemporary pop music and ancient Asian traditions’ But who is Eleanor Clapham and what is the story behind this unique and captivating journey?

Eleanor spend a lot of her early years feeling as if she was constantly standing at the crossroads; she knew she wanted to be a performer, but didn’t know how she was going to compete with all the performers that she perceived to be more talented than her. In 2005, while Eleanor was completing her Bachelor of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong Eleanor found herself confused and distressed about the future when she was dropped from the opera class, told that she didn’t have what it takes to be an Opera Singer. She began seeking some direction for her creative career and she found it in the most unlikely of places; A Vietnamese Australian by the name of Ta Duy Binh came to her University to demonstrate his theatrical studies in the art of Tuong in Vietnam. Eleanor was blown away by the stylised, delicate and beautiful nature of the dance and the singing, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. She knew that if she could learn this, she would have a skill that would set her out from the crowd. When she approached Ta Duy Binh with the idea that she would go to Vietnam and learn the art of Tuong he told her that it would be very difficult for her because she would have to learn Vietnamese. He said that perhaps she could learn the dance but there was no way she would be able to learn the singing as it was very complicated and extremely difficult, even for a Vietnamese person.

Ta Duy Binh admits that he never expected her to really follow through with this desire but gave her the contacts she needed. To everyone’s surprise Eleanor did go to Vietnam and began pursue her very strange goal; to master the ancient theatrical arts of Vietnam. She arrived in Vietnam with very little Vietnamese skills and lived with a family of Vietnamese artists Co Tuyet and Chu Duc, who did not speak any English. Co Tuyet over time became like a mother figure for Eleanor and later became her teacher. She began her daily lessons in the art of Tuong with several teachers, none of whom spoke any English. Her lessons involved stylised dance, song, acting and weapons movement, different to anything she had ever heard before, and all in Vietnamese.

In order to overcome the initial language barrior, Eleanor learnt through a method of filming her teachers demonstrate the piece and then she would spend hours alone each night learning it exactly. She faced hours of gruelling training in extremely complicated movement and singing.

Eleanor was determined, but she faced some very tough moments;

Eleanor da kien nhan va hieu hoc nhung co doi mat voi rat nhieu nhung dong tack ho.

Day One

Even though my Vietnamese has progressed a lot in the past few days today I found the communication gap to be a big problem, and so did the teacher.

My teacher’s name is Kim Hue, she’s a stout little woman and very severe…

She’s in fact quite famous in Vietnam, so I’m really lucky to have such a master for a teacher.

She taught me a series of basic movements today and I found it extremely challenging. After I forgot the moves a couple of times my teacher became quiet unimpressed. Today was the first day that I felt that the language barrior was restricting me, up until now I have felt quite confident about my progress, but today’s lesson shattered me, and I asked myself, what am I doing here?

Day Two

After my last lesson with this teacher was such a travesty I spent hours trying to perfect the dance for our next lesson, every hand movement is so intricate I had to play the video back over and over until I thought I’d go crazy. Then during the next lesson my teacher asked me to demonstrate the moves she’d taught me. This time I was confident and knew the dance very well. After that my teacher treated me differently, I think now she believes I can do it. And I wont let her down.

Eleanor studied harder than she’s ever done in her life. She spent hours every day perfecting her lessons. Eleanor’s determination to master these art forms continued to impress her teachers

After years of solid study, Eleanor’s skill had improved out of sight and she started to receive attention from newspapers, radio, and television. As all of her efforts began to pay off she was propelled into fame in Vietnam. She performed a one woman show at the Hanoi Opera House, broadcast nationwide and on cable television seen by Vietnamese people living around the world including the USA, France, Germany, Thailand and even her home country, Australia. After performning a famous characher Thi Mau on VTV4 she became known as Thi Mau Toc Vang meaning the blonde haired Thi Mau. She was invited to perform for all sorts of events including the APEC event in Hanoi, the New Years Festival television special, broadcast nationwide, performing with Vietnam’s most famous comedian Xuan Hinh. She went from walking down the crowded streets of Mai Dich Hanoi with people wondering who this strange foreigner was to everyone knowing exactly who she was and receiving sponsorship from companies such as TRG International, the Melia Hotel, The Australian Embassy, The Vietnamese Misistry of Culture and Information, The Army Newspaper, the Water Puppets Theatre the Tuong Theatre and the Cheo Theatre.

Amongst all this success anyone would think that Eleanor would be happy. But beneath the gleaming success, pressure was building and Eleanor was on a verge of a nervous breakdown.

Eleanor says; ‘I had worked and worked and worked, and I never took time to rest, I was putting huge physical demands on my body and on my mind and I was getting all this attention and invitations to perform. But all of this sudden success was so daunting for me, it was unexpected and I didn’t know how to handle it. It’s hard to explain what was happening inside of me but all I can say is that I was so hard on my self and expected so much of myself that I eventually just broke down.

On the exterior Eleanor looked like a success but on the inside she was feeling like a failure. Just as she was reaching success Eleanor cut short her trip and went home to Australia, her teachers and peers could not understand her sudden disappearance. She felt so distraught and confused that she decided to give up all together.

Eleanor say; ‘This, I think, was the lowest part of my life. If anyone asked me why I’d left Vietnam I would just cry and say ‘I don’t know why’. I felt so lost, with no direction. I went from being in the spotlight in Vietnam to working in a restaurant in Sydney making coffee, and no one knew or cared what I’d achieved. It was like my life had no meaning. ‘

Eleanor worked and thought for a year, trying new endeavours but nothing gave her any drive or joy. Finally Eleanor decided to go back to University and pursue some new career. But before the new academic year began, a miracle happened.

Eleanor say; ‘I received an email from a director in Singapore. He said that he had seen some articles about me on the internet , he was doing a production and wanted me to come to Singapore to perform, flights and accommodation paid. At first I thought this was a scam, but when he send my the ticket I was blown away; after all this time that something so out of the blue could occur. It was as if the world was telling me not to give up, that I had unfinished business, and it got me thinking about what I really wanted to do. After going to Singapore and having an amazing experience I went back to Vietnam on my way home to Australia. I was walking down the streets of Hanoi it occurred to me why I had left Vietnam and what I really wanted to do.

Eleanor says; ‘I had been trying so hard to perfect an art form exactly the way the masters said it should be, but for what? What could I do with what I’d learnt? I knew I didn’t want to just abandon all that I’d learnt because that would be a tragic waste. But I didn’t want to go back to being so hard on myself trying to perfect an extremely difficult art form. So I had to find a way of using everything I’d learnt but to create something of my own. And it came to me, so obvious, what I’d always wanted to do, since I was a child, to be a song writer. So I went back to Australia to begin my mission.

Eleanor says ‘I would sit for hours listening to recordings of lessons I had taken in Vietnam. I wanted to create music that made use and drew inspiration of everything I’d learnt in Vietnam at the same time coming right from place in my heart that was completely my own. I didn’t want to write world music, that was not my goal. I wanted to write the kind of music that I would want to listen to; pop music.

I wrote each song coming straight from the heart, thus the album is in a way a heartfelt chronological recording of my journey so far. It’s got pain and got a sense of being lost and not knowing where to go it’s got waking up and realising who you want to be, it’s got love and joy and hope and fear. It’s me absolutely and purely me… in every note….

On her journey Eleanor discovered a wonderful outlet to begin honing her performance skills and building a fan base; Eleanor now sings every week for Vietnamese audiences singing Vietnamese and English pop music at Weddings and clubs.

After 1 ½ years of hard work and dedication, Eleanor’s dream was finally becoming a reality. Eleanor returned to her second home; Vietnam, this time to record to music she had created. She worked in cooperation with some famous Vietnamese musicians, one of whom is Co Tuyet’s daughter.

Eleanor says; ‘I want to use the Vietnamese instruments in the recording, these musicians specialise in fusing traditional music with modern music so I’m very lucky to have the honour to work with these people.

On June 26 2010  all of her dreams are about to come true. She will be performing again at the Hanoi Opera house. In what has been described as ‘one perfect night’ she will really put on a show, showcasing 12 songs of her own creation, performed with Chi Huong’s band, she will demonstrate her mastery of drum movement, fan movements, flag and sword movements. All delivered with a powerful, mellifluous voice that vibrated through the air and inspired all who heard it.

ket hop voi giong hat cua Co duoi su co vu cua khan gia.

Eleanor says ‘Even though all of my music is written in English I wrote Vietnamese verses for each of the songs especially for this concert so that I could really include everyone in the audience. I want everyone to go home and really understand what I was trying to say, through my music.

Eleanor says; ‘I truly believe, with all my heart, that we are all of us creators of magic. And we really can create anything we dream, the only thing standing in our way is hard work, dedication and a burning desire.