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| An Apsara dancer strikes an elegant pose |
The
beautiful young ladies are adorned with gold necklaces, and gold
earrings. Gold armbands, and gold bracelets are worn on both wrists
and ankles. Gold trim is woven throughout their elegant dresses,
colored blue, red or yellow. A bright yellow flower sits over each
ear as they dance.
Their
headdresses are also gold with studded, circular layers rising above
them like a bent Buddhist stupa. Some headdresses look like those
seen on topless dancers carved into the walls of the temple of Angkor Wat, that I saw earlier. The dancers on stage before me are all
young Khmer women, but the only thing that
looks modern about them, is their bright red lipstick.
I'm
at the Temple Restaurant in Siem Reap, enjoying an upstairs dinner
show. The gold may not be real, but the dance is authentic: this is
Apsara. It's unlike any dancing you'll ever see in the west; it has
the charm of an Asia that was lost centuries ago.
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| This ancient art was nearly lost after the communist Khmer Rouge banned it |
For
those who don't know any better, they might think that these dances
and costumes are from old Siam, a.k.a. Thailand. But it's better not
to say that to the Khmers. They'll tell you that many centuries ago that the Thais copied them from Khmer dancers of the ancient Angkor
kingdom.
The
only western dance that looks anything similar to this, is classical
ballet. Apsara movements are slow, deliberate, and beautiful.
Foreigners quickly notice the women's hands; their thumb and
forefinger touch together. The remaining three fingers are pulled
back, with each succeeding finger pulled further back. The
flexibility of the fingers on these dancers is amazing.
The
dancers never smile, keeping their red lips together for the entire
performance. Like ballet, their dances and movements tell stories;
classical Khmer stories about life and love.
As
I watch mesmerized, a traditional Khmer band plays acoustical string
instruments, while old style drums keep the beat.
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| Apsara dancing was often performed for Khmer royalty |
Slow and elegant, one dancer balances on only one
foot, and pivots around, keeping her other foot elevated. The display of balance
and control is amazing. At times this style resembles Hawaiian hula
dancing, without the hip movements.
This
beautiful Khmer dance tradition was nearly lost from Cambodia
forever. When the communist Khmer Rouge took over, Apsara dancing was banned.
Nearly all of the master teachers of Apsara were either executed,
died from disease, or fled Cambodia.
Later
after the radicals were forced from power, a cultural revival
began. A few surviving refugee dancers returned to Cambodia. With a princess's support, this traditional dance began to be taught again in Phnom Penh. Slowly
but surely, Apsara made a comeback.
Now
Apsara is popular once again, and dancers regularly perform for
royalty, for Khmer audiences, and for tourists like me.
Despite
all the tragedies that Cambodia has endured, it's good to know that
one of their most treasured cultural traditions still survives today.
