Classic Khmer Civilization
9th – 15th Century
Temple Monuments
Khmer Society
• The King – omnipotent power encompassing people, state, law, soil
• Administrative Nobles & Priests
• Scholars, Poets, Artists, Astrologers, Astronomers
• Warriors & Farmers – largest class
• Slaves
How we know…
Little change in the basic methods & means of agrarian life
Celestial Dancers
Royal Ballet (Ankor Wat,1949)
Year Zero
An Agrarian Utopia
The Killing Fields
• Peasants – ‘Old People’ … City folk – ‘New People’ with no human rights
• Literacy, Arts, Music, Religion abolished
• Anyone deemed educated – spoke English or French – executed
• Families separated – starvation… torture
• 300 Royal Musicians & Dancers – 30 survived
1.7 Million
Ong Keng Seng(Director)
• ‘Intercultural Theatre’ – mixing contemporary & traditional performance styles
• ‘Cultural Negotiation’ – artists from different backgrounds working together in experimental ways
• Evolution of Asian Identity & Aesthetic for contemporary performance in 21st Century
The Continuum: Beyond the Killing Fields Theatre Works, Singapore
• Documentary – Performance
• Weaves real life stories of life & death under Pol Pot – as told by 3 classical dancers & 1 puppeteer
• Classical Dance Repertoire
• Dance Training Exercises
• Shadow Puppetry
• Evocative Music
• Documentary Video Footage
Lead performer Em Theay
• 78 year old Em Theay
• Master dancer of Royal Cambodian classical dance – trained from age 7
• At 15 – main roles at Cambodian Royal Palace; became dancer for Cambodian Republic in 1970
• Lost 3 sisters, 4 children, 1 grand daughter & 1 son-in-law on Killing Fields
• Now a Kru – master teacher – of dance
The Journey
• 2 years in development
• Artists revisit sights from past
• Shared journey with each other – and now us
• Audience synthesis with performer’s ordeals
• Deep appreciation of Cambodian art forms
• Aesthetic – to become involved with performers rather than form
Cambodian cultural influences in the performance
Traditional Cambodian style puppetry
• Puppets hand made from leather
• Used for first time ever in a performance that is not the story of the Ramayana
• Tell history of modern Cambodia under Pol Pot – controversial change for Cambodian cultural custodians
Cambodian classical dance
• Cambodian classical dance and theatre is based on great epic poem – Reamker, ‘Glory of Rama’
• Adapts Hindu ideas to Buddhist themes
• Shows balance of good and evil in the world
• Explores ideals of justice and fidelity
Cambodian cultural influences in the performance
Classical Dance
• Exquisite finger, hand & wrist gestures – expresses emotion
• Knees & feet pressed outwards as dancer semi-squats – at least one leg always bent
• Palms & fingers stretched backwards elegantly – similar style to neighbouring countries
• Spine erect, slightly arched, forming gentle curve – allows stylised, feminine movements – supported by facial expressions
• Together, movements & facial expressions tell story
Rituals in Asian culture and performance
• Connection with spiritual world
• Prayers & offerings
• Elaborate body & head ornamentation
• Experiential enhancement through smell, often in the form of incense
• Range of artforms – music, dance, chanting, singing
Balinese ceremonial ritual
Use of ritual in The Continuum
Opening scenes…
•Em Theay undertakes with her creative team a formal ritual – sampeah kru – before the first performance of Continuum
•Honours deities, spirits and teachers – made as a blessing for the new work & to protect the performers on their journey
In today’s workshops, we will create our own rituals