The wonderful panel of judges for the second round of Ams Abassador includes: Nguyen Tuan Anh – a member of the popular dance group S.I.N.E who has received many national and international awards and Le Thanh Trang – a professional piano performer with 11 years of training at the National Music Academy, were blown away by the talent displayed in each peformance and the passion and effort the couples showcased.

The competition kicked start with the stunning performace by Nguyen Ha Anh – class 11 Chinese and Tran Nhat Quang – class 11 Physics 2. Their performance of the song “Memory”, a combination of Ha An’s unique soulful voice and Nhat Quang’s beautiful violin melody, captivated the judges and the audience from the very first note.

A stunning performance opening the competition

Next was a performance by Pham Phuong Ha – Nguyen Tan Dung from class 10 Geography, which moved everyone to tears with the song “Cha ke con nghe”. Apart from the excellent musical elements, the storyline was the highlight of the perfomance. The image of the son hugging his mother in regret, eyes brimming with tears, created a strong emotional impact on the audience and established the performance as one of the most memorable of the afternoon. Judge Thanh Trang complimented them on having put the effort and time into staging such an elaborate piece with realistic display of emotions and engaging plot.

The moving musical “Cha ke con nghe”

To lighten up the mood, the tragic comedy by Vu Minh Ngoc – Le Tien Duc class 11 French 2 had the audience laughing nonstop. The highlight of the performance were undoubtedly the hilarious roles that the dynamic duo undertook: Minh Ngoc as a cyclo driver and Tien Duc in a feministic red dress. The ability to engage themselves in the storyline and the amusing slips in their acting were able to make a good impression, but many thought that the ending was not able to sufficiently deliver the message behind the play.

Our next couple, Nguyen Thu Phuong class 11 English 2 and Tran Vinh Nghia class 11 French 2, represented the perfect combination of piano classics and contemporary street art. The hit song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons became a refreshing piece through the collaboration of the melodious piano sound and the strong rhythms of beatbox. The song took the audience through a variety of emotions and the arrangement was undoubtedly effective as it did not only bring about a novel approach to a popular song but it also showcased the talents of the two contestants. The only thing that Judge Anh Tuan wanted change was to improve on the interaction between two contrasting characters to create a more harmonious performance.

Nguyen Thu Phuong class 11 English 2’s graceful performance on the piano

Tran Vinh Nghia class 11 French 2 confidently showcasing his beatboxing skills

Another two contrasting characters, Tran Huy Son class 11 Chemistry 2 and Nguyen Ngoc Huyen class 11 French 2, came together in an epic battle of fire and ice. The two started off with seemingly irreconcilable differences, represented by the stark contrast between their outfits, but they came to realise that they shared the love for dancing. Huy Son won over Ngoc Huyen and the audience with the sweet love song “Trot yeu” by Trung Quan, ending the performance with lovely touch. The judges, however, felt that the couple, although having done an excellent job in displaying a range of different emotions, needed to showcase their chemistry more, especially in such a romantic performance.

The thrilling battle between fire and ice

The performance by Dao Nhat Linh class 10 Literature and Tran Quoc Cong class 10 Physics 1 definitely stood out among the many contemporary acts by reenacting a famous scene in the widely acclaimed novel “Tat den” by Ngo Tat To. Apart from the terrific acting of the moving scene in which chi Dau had to leave her children and sold the last of her properties to the feudal lords, the couple’s dance routine also established the performance as a strong act of the day.

Quoc Cong – Nhat Linh performing highly technical dance steps

If the audience was captivated by the combination of two musical instruments in the previous act, they were absolutely blown away by the collaboration of four different instruments: violin, ukulele, piano and guitar. This wonderful performance by Nguyen Phuong Dung class 10 English 2 and Uong Minh Quan class 10 Chinese transformed popular songs into an original and creative medley, featuring the soulful voices of these two very talented contestants.

Phuong Dung absorbed in playing the piano while Minh Quan gave a wonderful performance with the piano

Moving and endearing, impeccably flawless and lovely, those were the words that the audience used to descrive the love song performed by Vu Hoang Trung and Nguyen Hoai Thu class 10 English 1. Trung played his guitar while Thu sang about love in the teenage years of one’s life, which received enthusiastic support from the audience. Listening to the lovely song, judge Anh Tuan was unndoubtedly moved by the platonic love evident in every note of the song and by the memories of his time as a student.

Trung and Thu and their heartfelt performance

Tran Quoc Anh class 11 Physics and Dao Minh Trang class 11 English 2 had brought to the stage a refreshing combination of dynamic movements and passionate singing. Not only were they able to deliver a highly technical performance but they were also able to engage the audience with their chemistry and great interaction. Their version of “You are my everything” was sweet and charming and the two must have enjoyed having such a good time on stage.

The adorable couple of Dao Chang and Quoc Anh 

Although Nguyen Phuong Anh class 10 History was unable to join Dinh Tuan Huy class 11 History in their contemporary dance act, she succeeded in choreographing a very touching performance. Dancing to the song “A thousand year” by Christina Perri, Tuan Huy had defintely illustrated his amazing talents by undertaking a series of challenging moves.

The contemporary dance act by Phuong Anh – Tuan Huy

Le Ky Anh Quang class 10 French 2 and Nguyen Phuong Anh class 10 French 1 brought to the stage a display of their remarkable musical talents through singing, raping and dancing. According to judge Tuan Anh, Anh Quang’s rap talent was on the par with professionals while Phuong Anh was wise in choosing hit songs that could showcase her ability extremely well. The judges gave the couple a 10/10 for the lively and engaging spirits that they brought to the auditorium.

The performance of Dang Vu Thao Nguyen class 11 Russian and Dao Vu Quang class 11 Computer Science 1 was an extraordinary feast of talents in the forms of singingm dancing and piano playing. The performance was highly appreciated for embodying a meaningful message: Our dreams will never perish, even when the world is drowned in chaos and misery. Judge Thanh Trang, an expert pianist, gave the piano performance 9.8/10 for being “a charismatic and flawless display of emotions”. In fact, both of judges were beyond satisfied with this performance.

Vu Quang’s impeccably flawless piano performance

Thao Nguyen’s soulful performance

The two judges decided to give the audience an impromtu performance, ending the competition with a high note. Judge Anh Tuan’s professional dance movements on the song “Say you do” played by judge Thanh Trang impressed all of the contestants and the students in the room, earning a lot of cheers and support. Judge Anh Tuan even invited the students to join him on stage and dance to random songs.

And that was the perfect ending to a thrilling second round of Ams Abassador. Which couples are going to proceed to the next round? All the best of luck to our twelve spectacular couples and see you again the semi final!

Reporter:  Phương Linh (Literature 14-17)

Photo source:  Khánh Linh (Literature 14-17)

Translator: Anh Duong (English 14-17)