Khmer classical dance
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Dancers from the court of King Sisowath at Angkor Wat in the early 20th. |
Khmer classical dance is a form of dance in
Cambodia. The name for this type of dance is known by various names in English, from
Khmer royal
ballet to Khmer court dance;
UNESCO lists it as the
Royal Ballet of Cambodia but also mentions "Khmer classical dance."
[http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=17902&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html] In Khmer, it is formally known as
robam preah reachea trop which means 'dances of royal wealth'.
[Peter Fletcher: "World Musics in Context: A Comprehensive Survey of the World's Major Musical Cultures" page 306. Oxford University Press] During the
Lon Nol regime of Cambodia, its name was changed to
robam kbach boran khmer, literally 'Khmer dance of the ancient style', a term which does not make any reference to its royal past.
Highly stylized and performed mainly by females, Khmer classical dance was originally mainly confined to the courts of royal palaces. This dance form is also showcased in the many forms of Khmer theatre (
lkhaon) such as
Lkhaon Kbach Boran (a genre of dance drama, performed by women). Khmer classical dancers are often referred to as
apsara dancers, which is incorrect as the
Apsarases are celestial nymphs seen on the many ruins of
Angkor.
The origin of Khmer classical dance is debated. Many Khmers and even some French historians of Cambodian history, such as
George Groslier, believe(d) that the dance form is an unbroken tradition dating back to the Angkor period.
[Sasagawa Hideo: "Post/colonial Discourses on the Cambodian Court Dance" Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 42, No. 4, March 2005] Others have argued that Khmer classical dance, as seen today, developed, or was at least highly influenced, from Thai classical dance of the 19th century.
Dance from the Angkor period is thought to have had much more of a religous purpose than today, often being performed with ceremonies.
[James R. Brandon: "The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre," page 1787. Cambridge University Press, 1997] (That, however, does not mean that Khmer classical dance today is not religious in any sense.) The Angkorian dance involved large groups of dancers
; there have descriptions of thousands of female dancers at Angkor.
Angkorian dancers were bare-breasted while the classical dancers of today wear costumes which more than cover their bosoms. Ancient Khmer dance started with Indian influence and later may have received Javanese influence in which flourished for 600 years until the
Khmer empire at
Angkor was sacked in the late 15th century. The dance tradition of the Khmers struggled to survive after many of its dancers were taken to Thai court of
Ayutthaya.
During the
post-Angkor era, the Khmer kingdom of
Oudong became a vassal state to Siam where it derived many Thai cultural influences which the Thais had melded with that of which they received from Angkor and from other cultures of the Southeast Asian realm. Not much is known about Khmer classical dance during this period. In the 19th century, then
King Ang Duong, who had spent many years of his life at the Thai court in Bangkok, restructured his royal court with Thai ingenuity. This restructuring also affected classical dance of the royal court (a symbol of the king's wealth and power) whose costumes were remodeled after Thai classical dance costumes. Also during the 19th century, several Thai dance troupes settled in Cambodia and some dancers even joined Cambodian dance troupes such as those belonging to
mandarins (high officicials) and prominent members of the royal family.
In the early 20th, dancers of the court of King Sisowath (second son of King Ang Duong to reign) were exihibited at the French Colonial Exposition in
Marseilles where they captured the heart of French artist
Auguste Rodin who painted many watercolors of the dancers. Many writers had compared classical dancers to the bas-relief of apsarases which may have lead to the strong affinity many people have for the two today. After
WWII, Khmer classical dance underwent a renaissance brought on by former Queen of Cambodia,
Kossamak Nearireath, the mother of King Sihanouk. Costumes had a new
Khmeresque look, which were more distinguishable from Thai classical dance costumes. Lyrics for the music of classical dances, which were previously sung in Thai, were translated into Khmer. This once-again-reformed performing arts was then introduced to the Cambodian public where it now remains a celebrated icon of Khmer culture often being performed during public events, holidays and for tourists in Cambodia. The Royal Ballet of Cambodia often perform for guests of the state and toured many places abroad, including France and the USA.
Khmer classical dance suffered a huge blow during the
Khmer Rouge regime during which many dancers were killed because classical dance was thought as of an aristrocratic institution. Many dances were lost because classical dance was a tradition that was taught from memory. Khmer classical dance training was resurrected in the refugee camps in eastern Thailand with the few surviving Khmer dancers. Many dances and dance dramas were also recreated at the
Royal University of Fine-Arts in Cambodia. The Royal Ballet of Cambodia was the main troupe of classical dancers in Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge regime, but since Cambodia has gain it's peace, a few other professional and amateur troupes have risen.
Khmer classical dancers use stylized
movements and
gestures to tell a story much like a
mime. It's style can be considered to be vague and abstract to many people. Dancers do not speak or sing; they dance with a slight smile and are never suppose to open their mouths (there are some exceptions in dance dramas however where certain characters speak for a bit). 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.
Hand gestures in Khmer classical dance are called
kbach (meaning
style). These hand gestures form a sort of alphabet and represent various things from nature such as fruit, flowers, and leaves. They are used in different combinations, sometimes with accompanying foot movements, to convey different thoughts and concepts.
The way in which they are presented along with the arm and the position they are held with the arm can also affect their 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.
Four main types of roles exist in Khmer classical dance;
neay (men),
neang (maidens),
yeak (
ogres), and sva (monkeys). In the
Reamker dance drama, a
lkhaon, these 4 types of characters are plentiful. Other types of characters include
apsarases,
mermaids,
hermits,
deer,
garudas, and
kinnaris. Many people will refer to Khmer classical dancers as apsara dancers, however this is incorrect as not all Khmer classical dancers perform as apsaras characters. Monkey characters are almost exclusively performed by men or sometimes, young boys, because this role require
acrobatic stunts such as
somersaults and
cartwheels.
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A mermaid (Sovann Maccha), monkey (Hanuman), and garuda. |
Classical dance costumes are highly ornate. Many pieces of silk are embroidered and decorated with
sequins. Sometimes pieces of the costume have to be sewn onto the dancers for a tight fit. Dancers wear either one of several different types of
crowns which denote the type of character they are performing.
Divinities and royal characters wear a tall spired crown, called a
mkot (not to be confused with the multi-tiared crowns of the apsara dancers).
Human characters of lesser importance will either wear a
circlet,
diadem or
tiara. Characters such as ogres and monkeys will wear masks and their rank can be determined by the crowns attached to their masks.
Female characters wear
iridescent silk sarongs, an
armlet on the right upper arm and, traditionally, a
rose on the right ear with a
phuong on the left side of the crown. A
phuong is Khmer term for flowers stringed together into a wreath and/or a
tassel-like form (sometimes referred to as a flower garland), it is usually made up of
Jasminum,
Calotropis, and
Michelia blossoms. Dancers also wear flower
garlands around the wrist which made of usually jasmine buds. Apsara dancers, which are female divinities, will usually wear
plumeria flowers instead of the rose, the flower tassel is also made of plumerias, and an armlet on both arms. Male characters also wear the same type of silk sarong as female characters except that it is folded and wrapped like the Indian
dhoti but look similar to baggy
breeches. Male characters can be spotted with a rose on the left ear and a flower garland hung on the right side of the crown. Male characters also wear an x-like strap around the body called a
sangvar with an extra set of bracelets in addition to the one worn by both gender of characters.
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Princess Bopha Devi performing Robam Tep Apsara |
The music used for Khmer classical dance is played by a
Pinpeat orchestra which consists of several types of
xylophones,
drums,
oboes,
gongs, and other
music instruments. The pinpeat ensemble may have been influenced from the Javanese
gamelan. While the pinpeat orchestra is not playing, a chorus of several singers will sing out lyrics which describe the story of the dance. New pieces of music are rarely created for this traditional art form. Khmer classical dance uses a particular piece of music for a certain event, such as when a dancer enters a scene or when there is a sword-fighting scene.
There are many dances currently apart of the Khmer repertoire. Before the onsalught of the Khmer Rouge, Khmer dance was said to have about 60 dances and 40 dance dramas, but many of them were forgotten and lost with the dancers and teachers who perished during the Khmer Rouge era. The subject of many dance dramas was usually a that of a male character who rescues a damsel in distress. One such example was
Roeung Kraithong and Chealavorn the epic of a hero named Kraithong adapted from Thai lore. However, some dance dramas had prominent female roles such is in
Roeung Preah Sothon Neang Keo Manorea and
Roeung Kakei, the former of which was based on the
Jataka tale of Sudhana and Manohara.
The apsara dance of today was 'recreated' by former queen Kossamak Nearireath,
Norodom Sihanouk's mother. Its costume is based on the
bas-relief of apsarases on temple ruins but much of it, including its music and gesture is not unique from other classical Khmer dances which probably do not date back to the
Angkor period. Commonly performed at public events is
Robam Jun Por, a dance where dancers scatter
flower petals as a gesture of offering best wishes.
Some dances, such as
Robam Moni Mekhala and
Robam Sovann Maccha are excerpts from dance dramas called
lkhaon.
Lkhaon are different from
robam in that it is longer, sometimes lasting several hours, while
robam are dances lasting about a dozen minutes or so.
Innovation
There has been little creative innovation with Khmer dance, they have only mostly come when it was reformed during the times of King Ang Duong and Queen Mother Kossmak Nearireath. Recentlym new dances were created under the guidance of
Sophiline Cheam Shapiro. She has help to create such dance dramas as Samritechak, an adaptation of Shakespeare's
Othello. Her latest work is a piece called Pamina Devi. Much of this new work has been praised by Western press but have met a few opposition with some Khmer dance teachers claiming.
List of dances
*Robam Tep Apsara - dance of the apsaras devas
*Robam Tep Monorom - dance of the delight of devas
*Robam Phuong Neari - dance of girl's flower garland
*Robam Phlet - dance of fans
*Robam Makar - dance of the
makara creature
*Robam Moni Mekhala - dance of the goddess Mekhala [
1] [
2]
*Robam Preahm - dance of a Brahman
*Robam Sovann Maccha - dance of the golden fish (or mermaid) [
3]
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Lady dancer, Siem Reap, September 2005 |
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An adaptation of the Thai story of Sangthong. |
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Hand symbol for young leaves. |
Theatre in Southeast Asia, by James R. Brandon (Cambridge, MA Harvard University Press 1967)
Theatre in the East, by Faubion Bowers (New York T. Nelson 1956)
The Cambridge Guide to Theater, by Martin Banham (Cambridge University Press)
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Dance of Cambodia*
Thai dance*
Ballet*
Pantomime (theatre)Websites
*
Dance - The Spirit of Cambodia*
Ken Kunthea (French)*
Cambodian Classical Dance*
Cambodian American Heritage Association*
The Near Extinction of Cambodian Classical Dance*
UNESCO Proclaimation of Masterpieces*
Khmer Arts Academy*
Photo Gallery of Cambodian DanceVideos
* - the Apsara dance
* - dancers practicising in their practice uniform
* - a dancer and teacher (Sophiline Shapiro) practising
