The History of Cambodian Dance

Cambodian dance is as old as the many venerable edifices that have lasted through the ages.

Distinguished by eloquent, precise motions, Cambodian dance, having existed since approximately the first century, A.D., is a dance style infused with grace and pathos. Throughout the centuries, it has gone from a ceremonial recital performed exclusively for royalty to a persecuted art form that nearly vanished into the fog of ancient history.

Theories/Speculation

The Indian tale of Prince Rama is thought to have inspired Cambodian dance.

Though not proven, it is widely believed that the inspiration for Cambodian dance stems from one of the great epic poems of India called Ramayana. A 24,000-couplet poem, it tells the tale of Prince Rama, whose stepmother, upon his father's death, banished him so her own son could seize the throne. Accompanied by his wife, Sita, he accepted his banishment out of respect for his father's widow and elder. As the legend swept across southeast Asia, it was supposedly set to music and movement, and led to the evolution of Cambodian dance.

History

In the early days, Cambodian dance was performed only for royalty.

Under the reign of King Jayavarman II (founder of the powerful Khmer Empire that spanned the 9th to 13th centuries), Cambodian dance became a standard in court life. According to AllCambodia.com, females, (typically from the upper echelons of society), outnumbered male performers. In addition, a woman's physique often dictated the role she would play. For example, tall women typically played heroic male roles while shorter women with sinewy muscles took on the roles of ogres and villains. In these early days, male dancers were rare, and usually occupied the roles of fools and jesters when they did participate.

During King Jayavarman's rule, it is estimated that 3,000 dancers worked in the court, entertaining dignitaries and visiting nobles, according to TourismCambodia.com.

Features

Sculptor of "The Thinker," Auguste Rodin lavished praise on the grace and precision of Cambodian dance in 1906.

At the heart of Cambodian dance is Apsara, a type of dance whose movements exist today in the form of carvings on ancient palaces and statues. According to NewWorldEncyclopedia.org, "Apsara" is a word of Sanskrit origin and means "woodland spirit" or "nymph." Sinuous, unfurling movements are hallmarks of Apsara, along with flexed palms that seem to press on an invisible wall, as well as one leg raised, bent at the knee with foot flexed, allowing the dancer to exhibit poise and balance.

In a 1906 exhibition in Marseilles, France, Augusta Rodin--the famous sculpture whose study of the human form was epitomized in "The Thinker"--witnessed a troupe performing Apsara, and he marveled that it was "impossible to see human nature carried to such perfection," according to WisdomPortal.com.

Considerations

Cambodian dancers were vital when kings begged the gods for aid during times of woe.

According to Dr. Paul Cravath (author of "Earth in Flower--The Divine Myster of the Cambodian Dance Drama"), Apsara dance was also traditionally a moving prayer ritual. Monarchs of Cambodia annually appealed to the heavens for aid whenever floods, drought, war or disease plagued the land. During such sacrosanct rituals, dancers were considered seraphic messengers. Their every move was a supplication for divine intervention.

Persecution

Known as "the killing fields," traditions and the vernacular of Cambodian dance perished in the slaughter of intellects and artists.

As the Vietnam War came to an end, genocide swept through Cambodia. According to the Killing Field's Museum in Seattle, Washington, intellectuals and artists were especially persecuted during the 1975 to 1979 murderous rampage, performers and teachers of the ancient dances included. Those who were not executed fled the country. When the horror finally ended, those seeking to revive the art form trekked to neighboring Thailand and Vietnam in order to interview those familiar with the dance rituals, so that tradition might endure. The damage, however, had been done, and many meanings and movements of Cambodian dance were lost.

Resurrection

In recent years, Cambodia has begun to revive its ancient artistic traditions, especially when it comes to dance.

Since the 1980s, there has been a crusade to rediscover Cambodian dance, according to such tourism bureaus such as ToThailand.com. Part of this revival actually started around 1967 when Princess Buppha Devi, encouraged by her mother, Queen Kossomak, became one of the first modern-day pundits of the art, taking the dance beyond the world of the royal courts and to natives and foreigners alike. In 1995, the country held another public exhibition of what has been recovered of the dance, in hopes of revitalizing the dance and the artistic integrity that once thrived in a country so recently beleaguered by violence.

References

• Tourism Cambodia: Historical Account of Cambodian Dance
• Wisdom Portal: Auguste Rodin Observing Cambodian Dancers
• All Cambodia: Life and Turmoil of Cambodia
• YogYes: Ramayana Ballet, a Drama in Typical Javanese Dance
• Earth in Flower: The Divine Mystery of the Cambodian Dance Drama