Organization

Khmer Classical Dance Troupe


The Khmer Classical Dance Troupe was an ensemble of Cambodian refugee dancers, singers and musicians founded in the Thai border camps after 1979.[1] In the early 1980s it reformed in the Silver Spring, Maryland, area under the direction of the court dancer Peou Khatna. It also performed as the Khmer Classical Dancers, and its members have called it the Khmer Classical Arts Association.[1][2][3]

History

Under the Khmer Rouge, the Royal Ballet nearly ceased to exist, and the regime eliminated almost all of its master dancers and musicians.[4] After the Vietnamese invasion of 1979, Peou Khatna and a few surviving teachers and dancers of the Royal Ballet reached the refugee camps on the Thai border. Within a few months a core group formed an ensemble of 25 former dancers, singers, musicians and a mask maker. Members date its founding to the Khao-I-Dang camp, under Peou Khatna and Rachana Nuth. The troupe practiced in the camps, and thousands gathered to watch.[1][3]

In 1980 and 1981, with help from the U.S. State Department, international refugee organizations and the National Council for the Traditional Arts, many of the dancers and musicians resettled in the Silver Spring area. There they organized for a third time. They improvised costumes and recreated the palace dances from memory.[1] By 1981 only a handful of the performers had trained or danced with the Royal Ballet, and this small group taught the troupe's nonprofessional members.[2] The troupe performed across the country and appeared in the documentary Dance of Tears. Together and on their own, its members helped revive the Khmer dance tradition.[1]

In 1990 the Cambodian Buddhist Society formally organized a cultural program at its Silver Spring location, beginning with Khmer dance and music. Peou Khatna was invited to lead the dance program, and she brought together the dance teachers of the area, among them her daughter Sin Ny. Several former members of the troupe went on to teach there; see Cambodian Buddhist Society Silver Spring.[5][3]

Lineage and training

Peou Khatna began training in Khmer dance at the age of seven. She danced lead roles with the palace troupe until about 1945, when she became a choreographer, costume maker and teacher. She came to the United States with the Royal Ballet in 1971, the year of its American debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[1][2] She later received a National Endowment for the Arts award.[5]

Repertory

The troupe danced the classical repertory of the Khmer court. That repertory has four character types: Neang, the woman; Neayrong, the man; Yeak, the giant; and Sva, the monkey. Each has its own colors, costumes, makeup and masks. An orchestra accompanies the dancers, and a female chorus comments on the story and the emotions the dancers mime.[4] UNESCO first proclaimed the Royal Ballet of Cambodia in 2003 and inscribed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.[4]

A recording by the Orchestra of the Khmer Classical Dance Troupe includes "Trott," "Tep Monorom," "Reamker" and "Robam Apsara."[6]

Performances

In November 1981 the troupe performed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and 2,000 people were turned away at the door.[2] The program included an excerpt from the Ramayana story, with this cast:[2]

  • Yin Chamroeun as Ream, the Cambodian Rama
  • Sek Puthyrith as Ream's brother
  • Kamel as Ream's wife
  • Uth Rach as the demon
  • Chum Chan Chavy as the demon in the form of a deer
  • Ung Chith as the demon disguised as a monk
  • Eng Vhas and Sophal as gods, with Sin Ny as their mermaid companion
  • Les Vath and Van Thuon as the demon's warriors

Members of the troupe later toured to venues including Epcot Center, the Kennedy Center, the White House, Disneyland and Wolf Trap.[3]

Silver Spring cultural program

The Cambodian Buddhist Society's dance and music classes opened with 24 students, and 25 years later they taught more than 70. Volunteers run the whole program. Students who enroll take part in its Cultural Show, the main feature of the Cambodian New Year Festival.[5] The program is a year-round community activity for Cambodian Americans in the area and for guests drawn to Cambodian culture, and it works to keep that culture alive and share it with its neighbors.[5]

Masady Mani was an art co-director and dance artist of the Cambodian Buddhist Society Cultural Group, where she taught Cambodian dance to younger generations. She choreographed student works including "Mae Om Bao Kom San Soun," "Dom Naur Khmer" and "Tang You."[7]

People

  • Peou Khatna, director[1]
  • Rachana Nuth, co-founder at Khao-I-Dang and a teacher from the Royal Palace[3]
  • Ny Jewell, lead dancer on the United States tour[3]
  • Khantya Nou, dancer in the demon role[3]
  • Puthyrith Sek, dancer in the male and monkey roles[3]
  • Viphas Heng, dancer in the monkey role[3]
  • Master Ngek Chum, musician, who toured with the troupe[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 National Endowment for the Arts, Peou Khatna
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The New York Times, Dance: Khmer Classics (1981)
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Cambodian Buddhist Society Cultural Group, faculty (2011)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 ich.unesco.org, Royal ballet of Cambodia - UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 cambodian-buddhist.org, CBSCC Programs
  6. ↑ Deezer, The Orchestra of the Khmer Classical Dance Troupe - Deezer (2000-01-01)
  7. ↑ CBSCG.org, Faculty - CBSCG.org (2011-05-06)
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This page was last edited on 26 September 2026, at 23:14.