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Khmer Dance
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Classical Dance of Cambodia The epic poem of
Rama (Ramayana) is believed to have been
revealed to a Hindu holy man named Valmiki
by Brahma, the god of creation. This
religious literary work, dating from about
ad 4, is known in various versions
throughout India and Southeast Asia. In
Cambodia, the story has been set to music
and dance and performed by the Royal Ballet
since the 18th century. Although the epic is
also known in the villages, where it is
translated orally or dramatized in the
popular shadow puppet theater, the ballet
was traditionally a courtly art performed in
the palace or for princely festivals. The
music of the ballet is performed by the
Pinpeat orchestra, which is made up of
traditional xylophones, metallophones,
horizontal gongs, drums, and cymbals
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History |
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Khmer classical dance derived from
Indian court dance, which traces its
origins to the apsarases 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. In
classical Cambodian dance, women,
dressed in brightly colored costumes
with elaborate headdresses, perform
slow, graceful movements accompanied
by a percussive ensemble known as
the pinpeat. Pinpeat orchestras
include drums, gongs, and bamboo
xylophones. In Cambodia's villages,
plays performed by actors wearing
masks are popular. Shadow plays,
performed using black leather
puppets that enact scenes from the
Reamkern, are also enjoyed. Folk
dancing is popular in rural Cambodia
and is performed spontaneously to a
drumbeat. |
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Apsara Dance |
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At the heart of classical form is
the Apsara, the joyful, almost
wanton dancer whose images are
everywhere. Princess Buppha Devi,
who currently serves as the Minister
of Culture, is a master of Apsar
dancing, which dates to the 1st
century. The graceful movements of
the Apsara dancers, adorned with
gold headdresses and silken tunics
and skirts, are carved on the walls
of many of the temples at Angkor.
Estimates are that there were 3,000
Apsara dancers in the 12th century
court of King Jayavarman VII.
Over the centuries Khmer dancing
lent its influence to the classical
ballet of neighboring countries, and
some of its postures and movements
are similar to other Southeast Asian
dance forms. But according to
Princess Buppha Devi, "The Khmer
kingdom started its traditions in
the 8th century, 500 years before
Thailand." In 1400, with the sacking
of the Angkor Empire, the Apsara
dancers were seized and taken to
Thailand. Apsara dancing is one of
two elements of classical ballet,
the other being "today" dancing, the
depiction of early myths. Many of
the dances involve performing a
fragment of the Ramayana, the
ancient Indian epic that is one and
a half times as long as the Odyssey.
Others are based on the legendary
battles and mythical sagas carved in
bas relief on the walls of the
temples of Angkor-including the
Churning of the Sea of Milk, the
great battle between gods and demons
for the holy liquid that gives
immortality. There are 100 dances
and dramas.
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