Monday, August 10, 2009

Visit to Cambodia! Cambodian Traditional Dances

During a visit to Cambodia (the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap), we had dinner at a restaurant-theater, where they performed traditional Cambodian dances. Each dance was kind of like a story, the first perhaps having to do with a royal couple, the second to do with harvest season, the third with butterfly images, and the fourth a partner dance between a beautiful female and a monster/creature. It was interesting to compare Cambodian dance to Taiwanese - needless to say, very different (much of Cambodian culture - eg. clothing, dance, language - has roots in India).


Dance involving Royal Couple (Part 1)



Dance involving Royal Couple (Part 2)



Harvest Dance - Male and Female Group



Butterfly Dance (Part 1)



Butterfly Dance (Part 2)



Partner Dance - Female and Monster

1 comment:

Kent Davis said...

Hi Tina, Thank you for posting the videos on Cambodian dance. The performances you see in restaurants is quite far from the original Khmer concept of sacred dance, but if it inspires curiosity that's great. (-: For more history of Cambodian dance and hundreds of photos go to http://www.earthinflower.com I'm glad you had a fun trip to Cambodia and wish you safety now in the midst of the typhoon. Kent