Apsara Dancers

We were invited to attend a performance given by the Angkor Dance Troupe and we are so thankful we had the opportunity to see this ancient Khmer dance form. It is a classical dance that is the Cambodian version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. The dancer embodies the Khmer ideals of beauty, grace, and continuity - continuity not only between the past and present, but also between the realm of gods and that of men. These mythical stories and the way they are preformed have remained the same for nearly a thousand years. The temples at Angkor have these dancers etched into the stone all around the palace. Their performances were reserved for the King. It was an exquisite thing to see.

The evening began with an array of Khmer foods of our choosing. We tried things like fish amok, rice and banana pancakes, pineapple fried rice, jellies,  fresh spring rolls, and anything we had not tried before. It was a superb meal. The ancient musical instruments were played and in a few moments we were whisked back to another time and place. The dancers move very slowly and each movement  tells apart of the story. The outstretching of a hand could represent a leaf as it fell from a tree thus depicting a change in the seasons. I can not tell you how beautiful this was to see.

 And, contrary to what you might think,  we were able to understand the dance story by watching it in it's entirety.

It was a delightful evening and we felt as if we were royalty and these dancers were preforming for us  as they had performed for  Kings hundreds of years ago. It was an honor to view this part of Cambodian culture.