Cambodian Dance: Celebration of the Gods

In Cambodia, classical dance is the quintessence of the country’s identity. An art form that was religious in origin, its traditions date back more than a thousand years to the great Khmer empire. Dancers performed in temples at Angkor and were the living embodiment of those celestial dancers carved on the temple walls. The history of Cambodian dance, the role of the French in introducing the dancers to the west, the paintings of dancers by Auguste Rodin, the Reamker epic from which many of the dances are drawn and the stories of dancers who survived the dark period in Cambodian history to revive classical dance today are all related in this fascinating book. Profusely illustrated with many old photographs and drawings, the book also discusses Khmer music, shadow puppetry and the future prospects for the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, which in 2003 was proclaimed by UNESCO to be a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage.

Publisher: River Books Press

Hardback

2009

ISBN: 9789749863404