Khmer traditional performances
It has been a tradition since the earliest days of tourism in the 19th century to treat visitors to Siem Reap with an ‘Apsara dance performance’ - a taste of classical Khmer culture. No visit to Cambodia is complete without attending at least one performance. Dinner performances are now the most popular venue - most places offering buffet or set menus combined with a one-hour dance performance. Dinner ordinarily begins at 6:00 or 7:00PM and dance performances atm7:30PM or 8:00PM, consisting of 4 or 5 dances (classical and folk). Most dinner performances run $10-$35 including dinner and admission. Some place do not charge admission for the performance, but you are expected to order dinner. For the best seats, call for reservations.
Traditional Khmer dance is better described as 'dance-drama' it is not merely dance but also meant to convey a story or message. There are four main modern genres of traditional Khmer dance: 1) Classical Dance; 2) Shadow theater; 3) Lakhon Khol (all-male masked dance-drama.); 4) Folk Dance.
As evidenced in part by the innumerable apsaras (celestial dancers) adorning the walls of Angkorian temples, traditional dance has been part of Khmer culture for well more than a millennium. Yet there have been ruptures in the tradition over the centuries, making it almost impossible to precisely trace the source of the tradition. Though much modern traditional dance was inspired by Angkorian-era art and themes, the tradition has not been passed unbroken from the age of Angkor.
Most traditional dances performed today were developed in the 18th through 20th centuries, beginning in earnest with a mid-19th century revival championed by King Ang Duong. Subsequent Kings and other Khmer Royals also strongly supported the arts and dance, most particularly Queen Sisowath Kossamak Nearireach (former King Norodom Sihanouk's mother) in the mid-20th century, who not only fostered a resurgence in the development of Khmer traditional dance, but also helped move it out of the Palace and popularize it.
Many traditional dances including most Theatrical Folk Dances were developed and refined from the 1940s-60s under the patronage of Queen Kossamak at the Conservatory of Performing Artsand the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. Queen Kossamak trained her granddaughter Princess Bopha Devi in traditional dance from early childhood, and she went on to become the face of Khmer traditional dance in the 1950s and 60s both in Cambodia and abroad. Like so much of Cambodian art and culture, traditional dance was almost lost under the brutal repression of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s, only to be revived and reconstructed in the 1980s and 90s due, in large part, to the extraordinary efforts of Princess Bopha Devi.
Classical dance, including the famous 'Apsara dance,' has a grounded, subtle, restrained, yet feather-light, ethereal appearance. Distinct in its ornate costuming, taut posture, arched back and feet, flexed
PERFORMANCE VENUES
Exclusive shadow theater and Khmer dance with traditional music. Set menu and a la carte. Dinner from 7PM.
Performance 8:30PM-9:30PM. Reservation recommended.
Wat Damnak area Tel: 063-964940
www.allianceangkor.com
Apsara Theatre
Traditional dance performances at one of the finest venues in town - an elegant wooden performance hall with
a/c. Set menu Khmer meal. $25/pax inclusive. Everyday, 7:30pm-9:30pm. Reservations recommended.
Wat Bo area Tel: 063-963561
www.angkorvillage.com
Crystal Angkor Restaurant
Fine dining, a la carte and set menu, Cambodian and international fare. Traditional dance performance every night at 7:00PM. Krous Village Tel: 012-786786
www.crystalangkor.com
The Khmer Barbe Q
Traditional dance performances with set menu Cambodian dinner. Six different dances. Dinner begins at
7:30PM. Performance from 8PM-9PM. Road to Angkor Wat near Angkor National Museum
www.restaurant-siemreap.com Tel:063-965650
La Noria Hotel and Restaurant
Shadow theater (sbeik toot - small articulated puppets) and traditional dances shows by children from the NGO,
Krousar Thmey, Wednesdays, 7:30PM-8:30PM. Admission and dinner. Set menu and a la carte.
Admission fee for the show goes entirely to the Krousar Thmey association.
East side of the river Tel: 063-964242
www.lanoriaangkor.com
Phare Cambodian Circus
An blend of traditional and modern theater, music, dance, acrobatics, juggling and contortion. Nightly 1-hour shows.
Every evening 7:30PM-8:30PM. Located behind the
Thanks for the post. I would love to enjoy the Cambodian cultural performances, I would also enjoy the scenic beauty spread all around there. You can also join the Cambodian Language Course so as to make your communication easy with the natives.
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