Bamboo circus show «Teh Dar» («going in circles»)

   «Teh Dar» means going in circles in the language of the K'ho, one of the peoples of Vietnam's Central Highlands — and the show travels that circle: a hunt, a courtship under the moon, then the rites that see the dead out and believe them back.

   The form is bamboo circus, the house language of Lune Production. Bamboo poles do the work of bars, ladders and props, and the acrobatics performed on them are genuinely risky. Nothing is pre-recorded: the score is played live on instruments of the highland peoples, an instrument tradition UNESCO recognises as cultural heritage.

   The room matters as much as the staging. Lune's bamboo dome is 24.2 metres across and 13 metres high and seats only 299, which keeps every row close to the floor.

   Seating comes in three tiers — aah!, ooh! and wow! — graded by distance from the stage; the two upper tiers include a welcome drink.

   One thing to plan around: «Teh Dar» does not run daily. It plays in blocks, with Mondays and some weekend dates dark, so check the current schedule before booking — and certainly before building a Hoi An trip around it.