Photo_ Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
PHNOM PENH – Twenty-two Cambodian artists will be performing Khmer royal dance in Bordeaux and Metz provinces and Paris, France, at the “Le Ballet royal du Cambodge” event.
This will be the first time for Khmer artists to perform the classical dance in France since 2019 after the death of Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, who was a former Minister of Culture and Fine Arts and revived the Royal Ballet after the Khmer rouge regime.
Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, and Mao Chamnan, president of Khmer Artist Association, will lead the delegation for performances from Mar. 6 to 12.
The performances aim to bring Khmer culture to the world and promote them to connect the international community with Cambodia. Cultural art will serve also as a bridge to attract European tourists.
Ministry spokesman Sum Mab said the continuance of the performance also strengthens ties with France.
The Royal Ballet has been taken also to ASEAN countries and China to strengthen cooperation between the countries and promote Khmer culture on the regional and international stage at the same time, Mab said.
The 22 performers are from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Ministry of Information, the Secondary School of Fine Arts, Department of Culture and Fine Arts, Department of Performing Arts, and Royal University of Fine Arts.
The performances will be held in the Musee du Quai Branly Museum, Paris, on Mar. 8 and 9 and on Mar. 11 at the Opera National de Bordeaux. The last performance will be at the Arsenal de Metz in Metz province on Mar. 13.
Over 80 minutes, the delegation will perform six classical dances. Seven performers will present the Apsara Dance, showing gestures of Apsara who were goddesses and celestial dancers and can be seen carved on the walls of Angkor Wat.
Two performers will play Moni Mekhela and Ream Eyso Dance, which presents the battle between a fairytale of the goddess of ocean and a giant master of the storm over a magic ball.
Six performers will dance the Pka Meas Pka Prak Dance, which is a type of wishing dance to the king for the coronation ceremony. Next is the six-people Mohori Chamber, which is Khmer traditional music usually played at royal ceremonies, receptions and traditional marriages.
After that, the Dance of Sentimental will showcase the encounter, leading a seduction, then an emotional engagement, and a love story of a prince and a princess after they have expressed their feelings for one another.
The biggest performance, by ten performers, will be a joint dance to present the Tep Monorom Dance. In Khmer classical costumes, the dancers celebrate the friendship, happiness, and prosperity of the country, which is nicknamed “Dance of the Gods” and “Goddesses of Happiness.”
The performers are skilled dancers who have been training for the traditional and classical forms since a young age, the ministry says.
The lengthy training allowed them to present the emotions of each dance beautifully, enabling the audience to catch the feelings based on the type of dances, including sadness, playfulness, happiness and fear.
source: https://cambodianess.com/article/royal-dance-returns-to-france
