An enchanting opening performance

Passionate dance moves under the stagelight

Hanoi - Amsterdam Art Team (HAT) is the biggest and most comprehensive art club of Hanoi - Amsterdam High school for the Gifted. Having been established in 2010, for 13 years of continuous operation and development, HAT has never failed to leave lasting impressions on young audiences, with the success of many large events such as HATxHolidays, Message Of Love (MOL), etc., as well as its annual musical performance GALA HAT.

Young actors immersed in their roles

Emotional climax

Following the success of previous GALA seasons: “Myrakellys”, “Heliopause”, “Shade of Dawn”, “00:00 - Fading light”, “Touch”, “From Eden”, “February 30th”, “Pandora’s box”, “(60)”, etc, this year, GALA HAT presented the audience with the musical “White Night”, aiming to deliver a message about empathy and respect between the many “selves” in our lives and in turn evoked in each of us deeply philosophical thoughts.

Ino lost in her chaotic mind

The story revolves around Ino - a witty and intelligent college student - along with the people she interacted with at the rehabilitation institute: Don, Di, and Erin. She desires to find the shattered pieces of truth about the past of her sister - Kaeni, which causes her to be able to sense and realize abnormal supernatural powers penetrating and controlling her consciousness. Don is always concerned and beating himself up about his anxieties; Di struggles to find a way to handle her powers, while Erin tries to wrestle with the undying pain torturing her mind. During that dark night, the walls of awareness and trust were shaken,... in the end, each character received their answers and learnt to accept truth and differences between themselves and people around them.

Don and his intense internal struggles

Erin drowning in her illusions of the past

The play lasted almost 3 hours. It is an impressive combination of theater, dance, and singing, carrying along the characters’ struggles and aspirations, presenting the audience with multiple stages of mixed emotions, and finally delivering the message of appreciating differences between individuals in our society.

Vocal performances in between dance and theater performances

Soothing melodies that enhanced the play’s pathos

The velvet curtain has closed, but the afterglow of the performance will continue to shine. Behind the splendid evening is the vigorous preparation and painstaking practice of the organizing board, more specifically, of the separate departments, as well as the presence and interest of nearly 600 audience members.

GALA HAT 2023: White Night has met with amazing success, amassed a large audience, and succeeded in spreading meaningful messages. Thanks to that, the Hanoi - Amsterdam Art Team (HAT) is gradually becoming a place to nourish and spread the youth’s burning passion for art, showcasing great enthusiasm under the stage light. The Ams Wide Web Editorial Board hopes the Hanoi - Amsterdam Art Team will continue to spread youthfulness and the passion for art to many more young people in the future.

Translator: Lê Quỳnh Anh - English 1 (‘23 - ‘26)

Photos: Organizers of GALA HAT 2023

Author: Nguyễn Diệp Chi - Literature (‘23 - ‘26)