by

Cambodia Dance

People in Cambodia use dance to show the divine power, celebrate the social events, and create laughter in daily life. Cambodian dance can be divided into three different categories: Khmer Classical Dance, Folk Dance, and Vernacular Dance.

Khmer Classical Dance:

This form of dance is also known by a name in English called “Royal Ballet of Cambodia”, and it is listed in UNESCO’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2008. This dance was performed only for royalty meaning  the “dances of royal wealth”.

Khmer classical dance is believed to derive from Indian court dance, which traces its origins to the apsaras(see pic1) of Hindu mythology, heavenly female nymphs who were born to dance for the gods. The traditions of Thailand and Java (in Indonesia) also influenced the music and dance of Cambodia.

Depiction of apsaras dancing, Temple Bayon, 12th century, in the city of Angkor Thom

Pic1: Depiction of apsaras dancing, Temple Bayon, 12th century, in the city of Angkor Thom

Over the history of Cambodia, role of Royal Palace’s dancers have become symbols of the King’s prestige. After the signing of the 1863 Protectorate Treaty, the French, who among many other things controlled the country’s finances, tried to reduce the number of palace dancers in order to lessen the King’s prestige. In the 1930s, the French subsidized the private troupe of Princess Wongat Say Sangvann, which performed for tourists, calling it the “one and only true” troupe. But after King Norodom Sihanouk acceded to the throne in 1941, his mother Queen Sisowath Kossamak found ways to reestablish the royal troupe’s ascendancy. In support of her son, Queen Kossamak transformed performances so that the royal troupe could best serve Cambodia’s image nationally and abroad. She shortened the length of the dance programs, had pure dance pieces followed by dramatic or comic works, and added musical interludes.

However, the tradition of dance, last for over a millennium, was almost lost in the Cambodian genocide, when the Khmer Rouge targeted those involved in the dance and “imposed a massive cultural forgetting”. Khmer classical dance suffered a huge blow during the Khmer Rouge regime when many dancers were killed because classical dance was thought as of an aristocratic institution. Although 90 percent of all Cambodian classical artists perished between 1975 and 1979 after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, those who did survive wandered out from hiding, found one another, and formed “colonies” in order to revive their sacred traditions.*

*(Reference: Earth in Flower – The Divine Mystery of the Cambodian Dance Drama by Paul Cravath)

Khmer classical dancers use silent movements and gestures to tell a story. Dancers do not speak or sing; they dance with a slight smile and never open their mouths.(see pic2) Khmer classical dance can be compared to French ballet in that it requires years of practice and stretching at a young age so the limbs become very flexible.

silent movement

Pic 2:silent movement

In classical Cambodian dance, women, dressed in brightly colored costumes with elaborate headdresses (also see pic2), perform slow, graceful movements accompanied by a percussive ensemble known as the pinpeat. Pinpeat orchestras include drums, gongs, and bamboo xylophones. (see pic3)

Pinpeat orchestras

Pic3: Pinpeat orchestras

The way Khmer classical dance communicate with audience is very complicated. Different position of the arm and the position of the hand relative to the arm can also express different meaning. Besides hand gestures are gestures which are more specific to their meaning, such as that which is used to represent laughing or flying. These other gestures are performed in different manners depending on which type of character is played.

In addition to the renowned graceful hand gesture(see pic4) and stunning costumes, the Khmer Classical Dance, has been closely associated with the Khmer court for over one thousand years. Performances would traditionally accompany royal ceremonies and observances such as coronations, marriages, funerals or Khmer holidays. This art form is highly cherished by many Cambodians.

Pic4: hand gesture of Khmer Classical Dance

Pic4: hand gesture of Khmer Classical Dance

Infused with a sacred and symbolic role, the dance embodies the traditional values of refinement, respect and spirituality. Its repertory perpetuates the legends associated with the origins of the Khmer people. Consequently, Cambodians have long esteemed this tradition as the emblem of Khmer culture. Four distinct character types exist in the classical repertory: Neang (woman), Neayrong ( man), Yeak (giant), and Sva (monkey). Each possesses distinctive colours, costumes, makeup and masks. An orchestra accompanies the dance, and a female chorus provides a running commentary on the plot, highlighting the emotions mimed by the dancers, who were considered the kings’ messengers to the gods and to the ancestors.

Classical Cambodian Ballet: Apsara

Folk dance:

Folk dances play a role of performing art to entertain the audience. Khmer folk are fast-paced, and the movements and gestures are not as stylized as Khmer classical dance. Folk dances mostly are about love or the story about animals. The dancers wear costumes that portray ordinary people character, such as farmers, peasants, and tribe leaders. The elements of folk dance diversify profoundly by different area and local cultures. The most famous of all, Robam Trot, is mainly performed during the Cambodian New Year. The Dance got its history along a legend about a hunter and deer.

Vernacular dance:

In Cambodia, vernacular dance (or social dance) is the dance performed at social gatherings. Some of these dances are heavily influenced by the traditional dances of Laos. But rom kbach, for example, take heavily from the classical dance of the royal court. Rom kbach is a simple dance which uses hand gesture similar to that of classical dance and rom kbach song also utilize the melodies of classical dance songs and combine them with traditional Khmer and Western instruments.

Other social dances from around the world have had an impact on Cambodian social cultures include the Cha-Cha,Bolero, and the Madison. Such dances are often performed at Cambodian wedding receptions and banquets.

Yosuke and Tan-Chi

20,843 thoughts on “Cambodia Dance”

  1. I’ve been troubled for several days with this topic. majorsite, But by chance looking at your post solved my problem! I will leave my blog, so when would you like to visit it?

  3. Your writing is perfect and complete. casinosite However, I think it will be more wonderful if your post includes additional topics that I am thinking of. I have a lot of posts on my site similar to your topic. Would you like to visit once?

  4. I’m writing on this topic these days, bitcoincasino, but I have stopped writing because there is no reference material. Then I accidentally found your article. I can refer to a variety of materials, so I think the work I was preparing will work! Thank you for your efforts.

  6. Wow, cool post. I’d like to write like this too – taking time and real hard work to make a great article… but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though. amc stocktwits

  8. Nonton Film Nonton film full movie Cinema 21 Online Gratis download movie Situs nonton film online gratis Streaming film bioskop Film Horor Terbaru 2022 Film Romantis Terbaru 2017 Nonton drama korea terbaru Nonton bioskop LKC21 gratis

  12. Well, this, is very nice information you have shared and I appreciate that, I would let you know we are a kosher certification agency offering Kosher Certification India services at a very affordable price amongst any competitors. Kosher certification is registration for your food products, chemical products, and other manufacturing products, when you planning to export your business to a country like Middle East UK, or the USA, you must need this certificate.

  17. A very awesome blog post. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. I was exactly searching for. Thanks for such post and please keep it up. Great work How to Sell Merchant Services

  19. Thanks for taking the time to discuss that, I feel strongly about this and so really like getting to know more on this kind of field. Do you mind updating your blog post with additional insight? It should be really useful for all of us. Academy Sports Near Me

  21. Clockify is well designed web-based time tracking software that is helpful for all types of businesses in tracking productivity and billable working hours of their working staff across projects. It has proved convenient for managers to specify time duration for each project, view ongoing activities, track employees’ hourly rates and view time breakdown for various tasks and projects. It generates as well as shares and exports customizable reports in PDF, Excel, and CSV formats.By connecting Clockify with the QuickBooks Online account, users can send time entries. The integration works well only with QuickBooks Online and not with the QuickBooks Desktop version.1. Firstly, users should integrate their Clockify and quickbooks clockify integration accounts.

  24. اگر سایت شما در نتایج جستجو در صفحه اول سرپ گوگل ظاهر نمی شود ، شما در واقع وجود ندارید. حتی اگر کسب و کار شما در نتایج جستجو صفحه دو ، سه یا چهار باشد سایت شرکت شما برای اکثر کاربران گوگل نامرئی می باشد. این به این دلیل است که تنها ۲۵ درصد از کاربران از صفحه اول نتایج جستجو عبور می کنند.به این دلیل مشاغل امروزی ، به سئو وب سایت و سئوکار نیاز دارند تا در نتایج صفحه اول گوگل دیده شوند.

    سئو در کرمان

  27. I’m very curious about how you write such a good article. Are you an expert on this subject? I think so. Thank you again for allowing me to read these posts, and have a nice day today. Thank you. 호치민 가라오케

  29. A more sagacious enumerating should be possible by adding reflexive or chrome contacts or a delicate touch fake cowhide detail around various skins and sewing regions. What should be remembered is that the materials utilized ought to be not difficult to-clean, eliminate and supplant, and be lightweight. Utilizing high-grade materials like calfskin, unadulterated cowhide, or wood can be trying to keep up with.

    Buy Car Accessories

    Fundamental for proprietors have an in a hurry way of life to make driving more charming, productive, and agreeable. The above spending plan cordial vehicle inside adornment thoughts will overhaul your vehicle, permit you to cover significant distances without weariness, and assist you with putting resources into the right stuff to smoothen your driving experience.

    https://moxzo.in/

  31. Fashion should be accessible to everyone, regardless of income. For the same reason, we have kept minimum prices for each piece of clothing. Top Gun might be a good fit for you if you’re looking for something amazing or attractive within the nominal price range this winter.
    Top Gun Machine Jacket

  32. Fashion should be accessible to everyone, regardless of income. For the same reason, we have kept minimum prices for each piece of clothing. Top Gun might be a good fit for you if you’re looking for something amazing or attractive within the nominal price range this winter.
    Top Gun-2 Flight Jacket

  34. Today when you want to have a good and successful online business then a good business website will help you well. Thus due to this reason we suggest you to approach a top website design company.

    Such kind of a company will give you many immense benefits. When you take help from such a company to make an eye catching website then you will get the attention of as many online audiences on the web. These audiences will land on the pages of your website and might get converted into sales leads. This is the main advantage of contacting a reputed website design company.
    Read More for Visit Our Website
    https://softindigo.com/

  35. Slack is a feature enriched team messaging app that offers a rich set of tools and options. It helps in sending instant messages to users or channels and can generate invoices and can automatically process payments in QuickBooks Online. It is a real-time B2B messaging platform app that offers an amusing interface that brings colors to the messaging platform. This messaging platform is the most expensive in its league as it offers several types of IT solutions that ease the flow of messaging in the organization. Slack is a highly customizable app and integrates with many useful office management tools and apps. quickbooks slack integration is an effective business managing app as it lets users message more concisely with their office colleagues. Slack works effectively both in real-time and asynchronously, which makes it an ideal option for hybrid and all remote work environments.

  39. Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumble upon everyday. It’s always useful to read through content from other authors and use something from other sites. 카지노사이트

  45. I am continually looking on the web for articles that can support me. There is clearly a ton to think about this. I think you made some valid statements in Features moreover. Continue working, incredible employment! truck mattress

  46. Fashion should be accessible to everyone, regardless of income. For the same reason, we have kept minimum prices for each piece of clothing. Top Gun might be a good fit for you if you’re looking for something amazing or attractive within the nominal price range this winter.
    Top Gun Women Costume

  47. Quality or informative content, keep sharing it so that we get more quality information like this. By the way I am a course seller and our film institute provides filmmaking courses like acting, modelling, dancing, direction, cinematography, and much more. Our film production course is well-known and has an even higher than average rating for the best Film direction course in Delhi & Mumbai.

  48. Good website! I truly love how it is easy on my eyes it is. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your RSS which may do the trick? Have a great day! best truck mattress

  49. If you are a gaming enthusiast, I suppose you know about Roblox, but if you don’t, then don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you. It’s an online gaming platform and a system used to create games. This platform allows you to either develop games or play games already developed by others on Roblox.
    What is Robux

  50. Badan Anda terasa letih dan pegal-pegal? Jangan bingung untuk memanfaatkan layanan gomassage yang kini sudah hadir di berbagai kota di Indonesia. Layanan pijat ini akan memanjakan tubuh dan pikiran Anda menjadi lebih rileks setelah lelah dengan rutinitas.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *