Page 1: Dance, Spirit of Cambodia Amazes Austin AudienceBy Sophia Hong
Thursday, March 7th, 2002
Sparkling beneath gold crowns, elaborate jewelry, and extravagant costume, the dancers move gently and gracefully.  They portray celestial beings as inscribed in the stone of Angkor Watt, an amazing temple completed in 1150. Balancing so gracefully and rotating upon one foot, the crowd gasps in amazement as the dancers appear to be flying.
Dance, the Spirit of Cambodia is a project of the Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh. Produced by the New England Foundation for the Arts, Asia Society, and Lisa Booth Management, the U.S. tour spans 12 cities for 9 weeks, Fall-Summer 2001. On Sept. 18, 2001, the dance company traveled to Texas for the first time when they performed at the University of Texas at Austin.
Beautiful expressions and gestures. Breathtaking! complimented Gloria Gonzalez, a member of the audience.
The fine art of Cambodian dance is not only an elegant form of beauty, but it also embodies power, strength, history, and culture through its ancient and graceful expressions. Cambodia, a former royal empire, has experienced much hardship within the last half-century, especially during the late 1970s. Because of the Killing Fields, about 90% of the Cambodias artists died, leaving the fine art of dance almost extinct. Dance was only taught orally, so there was little documentation and few resources left for the remaining artists to revive their arts and society. Recovery and restoration is a slow and difficult process, which is ongoing today. Dance is a prayer, a story, and a refuge for the Cambodian culture.
|
