Dance, the Spirit of Cambodia

• Sep 28 - 29, 2001
• Terrace Theater
• 2 hrs.
• $40.00

About the Program | Reviews | Watch and Listen | Additional Resources

About the Program

Khmer Royal Court Musicians and dancers performances and residency programs will feature both repertory from the classical (court) cannon and folk work, exploring the links celebrating the diversity of this rich culture.

Cambodian classical dance has been associated with the royal court for over a thousand years. On the walls of the Angkor temples, more than 1,000 apsaras (celestial dancers) are carved, reflecting a period of history in which Khmer performing arts are believed to have reached their greatest expression. The apsaras' earthly incarnations - the dancers of the court - have performed for the deities, royalty, and the people through the centuries.

In the sophisticated art of traditional Khmer dance and dance- drama, loyalty to tradition is interwoven with creativity. Knowledge of Khmer classical dance, its technique, mythology, rituals, and history, resides within the dancers themselves and its transmission from teacher to pupil is central to one of Cambodian society's fundamental relationships. Cultural wisdom is passed on by demonstration, physical manipulation, observation, and participation. Over many generations, this opulent, ornate, and refined form has developed into a sophisticated dance or kinetic language. Each of the four major character types - females, males, demons and monkeys - uses its own particular vocabulary and syntax of movement composed of an estimated 4,500 gestures, creating a kind of sign language.

Ever since the 14th century, the Kingdom of Cambodia was manipulated and conquered by foreign armies. Classical dance became an important representation of a culture otherwise politically and economically dominated by outsiders. From 1975-79, when the Khmer Rouge overthrew the republican regime of Lon Noi and instituted its communist 'experiment,' traditional dance, like other aspects of Khmer culture, was deliberately destroyed. Close to 90% of dance teachers and performers died. In the early 1980s the few surviving Cambodian artists regrouped and began the arduous task of reconstructing its cultural resources.

All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.

Group of 20 or more? Group Sales offers special terms and discounts for most performances.

Watch and Listen

• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 1 - High Bandwidth
• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 3 - High Bandwidth
• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 4 - High Bandwidth
• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 1 - Low Bandwidth
• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 2 - Low Bandwidth
• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 3 - Low Bandwidth
• Dance: The Spirit of Cambodia Video 4 - Low Bandwidth

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Additional Resources

A style that looks to heaven : The Boston Globe - Boston, MA

Resurrection in dance : The Boston Globe - Boston, MA