During the 2020/21 pandemic the Goethe-Institut set up various programs, such as CULTURE LAB, IDEA BOOSTER, RECONNECT, IGNITE CREATIVITY GRANT. So that the connections to Germany don't break off, that artists and cultural activists in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are encouraged to continue their important work. Artists from all genres submitted their ideas. 80 percent of the applications received funding of about EUR 1,000. The grant should lure new ideas out of the lockdown, should engage fellow artists and maintain relationships with the audience. The culture lab for example enabled comedy, puppetry, an opera for children, multimedia concerts, a fashion show and dance. The term CULTURE LAB represents well what the Goethe-Institut has been for many years, a place for free exchange, for experiments and innovations. A relatively protected space to try out new things.
Among others, the following were involved in the culture lab: Nguyen Than, who co-created BOUGAINVLLEA - A FAIRY TALE (2020) and did his first choreography THE ROOM (2022) with visual artist Nguyen Linh Chi, and Vu Ngoc Hai produced THE NEST (2020) and HERE AND THERE (2021).
For the last couple of years the Kinergie dance school has brought forward new talents. Under the direction of Do Hoang Thi Ngoc, they did the production L'EGO with Do Minh Anh, Tran Minh Quang, Linh Anh, Kim, Tran Minh Hai, Hoang Thuy Ha, Phan Viet Bach, Pham Minh Tu, Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, Pham Thanh Huong.
From the Dance Academy new names are making their way out into the public spotlight. Since the summer camp with Heiner Goebbels, these are Hoang Lan Phuong (*1996), Le Tran Thao Nhi (*1995), Pham Ngoc Toan (*1996), Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh (*1995) who tested their next steps in the Culture Lab.
The cultural funding that the German taxpayers and the Goethe-Institut were able to provide in recent years has helped the culture and arts scene of Hanoi to break new ground, reflect artistically on themselves and the changes in society, find new forms of expression, and open up new perspectives to all of us.
