Organization
Muka Theravadda
Muka Theravadda is a cultural association in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, near Paris, that teaches and performs Khmer dance and martial arts.[1][2] It works to preserve and pass on the arts and traditions of the world, and for now it gives most of its attention to Asian heritage, above all Khmer culture. Its activities include dance, live music, Kun Khmer, Khmer yoga and talks on art and spirituality, and it runs humanitarian projects in Cambodia.[1][3][2]
History
Muka Theravadda grew out of the Comité International Entraide Humanitaire pour la Population Khmer (C.I.E.H.P.K.), an association founded in Mulhouse in March 1988 and registered with the court there. For more than three decades the committee supported Khmer communities through humanitarian work and promoted Khmer culture and heritage.[4]
On December 13, 2024, Muka Theravadda became functionally independent while remaining under the committee. It widened its focus from Khmer culture alone to the arts and cultures of the world, and it kept up humanitarian work alongside its teaching.[4] The same day it was declared as an association under the name Muka Theravadda France Cambodge International, with the aims of education and mutual aid, support for members, humanitarian action and the promotion of culture.[5][6]
Dance
The association's Khmer Dance Section teaches traditional and folk Khmer dance. Workshops meet every Saturday, with extra rehearsals before performances and special events. New students may take two free trial classes.[4][7] Donations can lower or cover the fees of students who could not otherwise afford the classes.[7] The association also creates choreography that blends Asian and global influences.[3]
Martial arts
The association teaches three Khmer martial arts. It traces Bokator to the warriors of the Khmer Empire; the art combines close combat, animal postures and traditional weapons. Yutha Kun Khmer is close to Bokator but gives more weight to traditional weapons. Kun Khmer Boran uses punches, elbows, knees and kicks, and the association regards Bokator and Yutha Kun Khmer as its core.[8][4]
Classes meet on Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m. at 88 Avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Maison du Cambodge in the Cité Universitaire, 27 Boulevard Jourdan, in the 14th arrondissement.[8]
Workshops
Recurring language workshops, open by registration, teach Khmer from a first introduction to reading and writing through everyday conversation and cultural vocabulary. Parallel workshops teach French, with pronunciation, grammar and practice for exams and interviews, and English, including professional English. Different teachers lead each workshop, and larger sessions have several.[9]
The Moeun workshops are named for Moeun, a Krou (teacher) of Khmer art, history and culture, who leads several of them himself. Their themes include the symbolic gestures of robam Khmer, Khmer dance, and their cultural and spiritual meanings; how to wear and fold traditional Khmer dress; YogArt Khmer, which pairs yoga with drawing and guided meditation; exercise drawn from Khmer martial arts; and Khmer cooking, from amok and lok lak to nom banh chok noodles, with tasting. Groups are kept small, and some workshops are free while others are paid.[10]
Performances
At the 2025 Festival des Horizons, organized by the Centre Anim Poterne des Peupliers, Muka Theravadda performed the Khmer dances Boung Soung Chun Por, Tevy Probey and Bopha Lokey. It also gave a Kun Khmer Boran demonstration and presented an original choreography by Preah Neang combining Kun Khmer with contemporary dance.[11]
In a short hands-on session, children and adults tried some of the dance gestures and basic Kun Khmer moves.[11]
On February 21, 2026, the association gave an hour of demonstrations and performances of traditional costume, dance and martial arts at a Lunar New Year family day at Communale Saint-Ouen.[12]
Humanitarian projects
The Long Mech project gives food, clothing and basic goods to villagers in rural Cambodia, and it helps disadvantaged children get to school and meet their basic needs. The Noy Noy project supports the association's own artisans, dancers and musicians in Cambodia. It pays for traditional costumes, musical instruments and crafts, and it helps artisans' children return to school or train for a trade. The association plans to extend Noy Noy to other communities over time.[13][3]
The association collects donated clothing, school supplies, hygiene products, toys and non-perishable food for families in Cambodia and homeless people in France.[6] It has also given away, free of charge, new computer keyboards donated by the community life office (Vie Associative) of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine.[14] Part of the proceeds from its sales of traditional Khmer clothing and handicrafts goes to its humanitarian projects, and it takes donations for an initiative called Moeun and His Elephants.[3]
Community
Members join as active members, who help organize events, projects and committees, or as supporting members, who volunteer as their time allows in areas such as the website, social media, marketing and accounting. Both pay a one-time entry fee and an annual fee set each year by the General Assembly, and a member who leaves and later returns pays the entry fee again.[15] Membership, including an international active membership for members in Cambodia, is taken through HelloAsso.[3] Every participant signs an agreement to follow the association's internal rules before attending any class, including a trial class.[7]
Two member networks give further help. The Réseau Muka offers mutual aid and sharing among members, and the Réseau Theravadda gives structured financial support to members' long-term projects.[16]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Muka Theravadda, official site
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 HelloAsso, dance associations in Seine-Saint-Denis
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 HelloAsso, Muka Theravadda
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Muka Theravadda, Notre savoir-faire
- ↑ Assoce.fr, associations in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Muka Theravadda, Donation
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Muka Theravadda, Section Danse Khmer
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Muka Theravadda, Arts du combat
- ↑ Muka Theravadda, Ateliers langues
- ↑ Muka Theravadda, Atelier Moeun
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Muka Theravadda, Festival des Horizons (2025)
- ↑ Mairie de Paris, Nouvel An lunaire at Communale Saint-Ouen (February 21, 2026)
- ↑ Muka Theravadda, Projets humanitaires
- ↑ Muka Theravadda, Action du moment
- ↑ Muka Theravadda, Nous rejoindre
- ↑ Muka Theravadda, Nos réseaux