When Dance Becomes a Bridge Between Cambodia and France

详细摘要

From theatre stages to dance classrooms across France, Cambodian dancer Rim Panhchakrath is helping build a cultural bridge between two ...

PHNOM PENH – From theatre stages to dance classrooms across France, Cambodian dancer Rim Panhchakrath is helping build a cultural bridge between two countries through the grace and discipline of Khmer classical dance. Her performances introduce French audiences to one of Cambodia's most treasured art forms, while her volunteer teaching gives younger generations an opportunity to learn and carry the tradition forward.

Her experience reflects a growing international interest in Khmer classical dance and wider appreciation of Cambodia's cultural heritage. As Cambodian dancers and cultural organizations take the art form beyond the country's borders, they are creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to experience its beauty, understand its traditions and help preserve it for generations to come.

In 2024, Prince Tesso Sisowath, deputy director of Princess Buppha Devi Dance School, arranged for two dancers and a makeup artist to accompany screenings of the documentary Tep Attha, also known as The Perfect Motion or La Beauté du Geste, in France. The film was screened from February 12 to March 12, with the dancers performing after each showing.

Panhchakrath, 23, was among the dancers selected. She performed the Preah Thong Dance in a 100-Year-Old Style, giving audiences an opportunity to experience the grace and intricacy of Khmer classical dance beyond the cinema screen.

Traveling from one location to another by train and car, sometimes across considerable distances, was physically demanding. The tight schedule also meant that she occasionally had to remain in her performance makeup, including white powder, while traveling between venues.

Yet the fatigue often disappeared when she stepped before an appreciative audience. The applause, compliments about the beauty of the dance and requests for photographs made the long journeys worthwhile.

“I see that the people there really appreciate the documentary film and the classical Khmer dance.

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