“La Danse au fil du temps”: from Angkor to Édith Piaf, Cambodia and France share the stage
This weekend, the Princess Buppha Devi Dance School presented its new production, “La Danse au fil du temps” (Dance Through Time), at the Chaktomuk Theatre. The idea came from Prince Sisowath Tesso: to bring the traditional and popular dances of Cambodia and France into conversation. Seventy-five performers on stage, an hour and a half of show and an audience won over. The journey starts in the temples of Angkor, passes through the court of Louis XIV and ends with the cha-cha-cha and modern dance.
A gala for the King’s 22 years on the throne
The curtain rose on Friday 30 October for a gala evening. It marked the 22nd anniversary of the reign of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, crowned on 29 October 2004. Two performances open to the public followed, on Saturday and Sunday at 5 pm.
The theme is close to the King’s heart. Before taking the throne, Norodom Sihamoni studied dance and music in Prague from the age of nine. He later taught classical dance in Paris, where he founded the Ballet Deva.
A free school, founded by the first Apsara
The school was founded by Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, a leading figure of the Khmer Royal Ballet. Her aim was to make Khmer culture known abroad. In 1962, her grandmother, Queen Kossamak, created the Apsara dance for her. The princess was its first performer.
Since her death in 2019, Prince Sisowath Tesso has run the school, at the request of the princess’s children. Classes are free and open to students from all backgrounds. The best of them perform the classical repertoire in public. All of them take part in new productions like this one.
A Franco-Cambodian cast
Prince Tesso produced and directed the show. On stage, 60 performers from the school share the floor with 15 dancers from the Cambodian Dancesport Federation. The classical dances were entrusted to teachers Duk Sytha and Florian Tilly. Teacher Miwako Fujiwara is in charge of musical direction. Princess Jenna Norodom is part of the cast, this time at the microphone.
Vishnu, the Apsaras, then the Sun King
The first part is devoted to the classical period. It opens in the temples. On the giant screen, the towers of Angkor stand out against an orange sky. A many-armed statue of Vishnu dominates the backdrop. In front of it, the Khmer sovereign, wearing a golden crown, takes his seat on a throne. Around him, kneeling dancers unfold the slow gestures of the Dance of the God Vishnu.
Then come the female dancers. Tapering headdresses, sampots of golden silk, they advance in a line under blue light. Behind them, two flags fly above the dais. This is the Dance of the Apsaras, the very one Queen Kossamak created for her granddaughter.
Then the scenery changes. The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles appears on screen, with its chandeliers and painted ceilings. Powdered wigs and Venetian masks take over the stage. In the centre, a dancer wears an embroidered sun on his chest and a tall plume on his head. It is Louis XIV.
The nod has a historical basis. In February 1653, Louis XIV, then aged 14, danced in the Ballet royal de la Nuit himself. Eight years later, in 1661, he founded the Royal Academy of Dance.
1960s Phnom Penh comes back to life
The second part, turned towards contemporary and modern repertoires, changes pace. Waltz, tango, roamvong, cha-cha-cha, Madison, rock ’n’ roll and modern dance follow one another. The Federation’s dancers move through their figures in ruffled gowns and white shirts. The polished floor reflects every step.
One tableau brings back the capital of the 1960s. Bell-bottoms, flowered shirts and yellow dresses: couples cross paths in front of a pagoda projected on the screen. Further on, two green cyclos cross the stage. On board are Prince Sisowath Tesso and actress Dy Saveth, a star of 1960s Cambodian cinema. Behind them, the screen shows a photo of a cyclo on a city street.
On the screen, Édith Piaf in black and white watches over the waltzes and Latin dances. The Madison, for its part, was all the rage in 1960s Phnom Penh. In 2012, nearly 1,000 young people danced it in the capital to set a world record. In 2023, Siem Reap took back the title with 2,015 participants.
A risky bet, carried off from start to finish
It was a tricky exercise. Moving from an Angkorian temple to the Hall of Mirrors, then to a Phnom Penh street in the 1960s, without losing the audience along the way, is no easy matter. Prince Tesso’s staging pulls it off with real mastery. Eras, music and sets follow one another without a lull, and every transition feels natural.
In the hall, the audience followed with enthusiasm. Applause broke out many times, and phones were raised towards the stage.
Reaching young Cambodians
Why put the Apsara next to modern dance? Chhoeut Chansokha, the school’s costume designer and stage manager, has a straight answer. “Cambodians love K-pop and show it a lot,” he says. Classical dance, by contrast, has little visibility with local audiences. Mixing genres is a way to reach them.
At the final bow, the whole company gathers on stage, kneeling with palms joined, around a bouquet of orchids.
Two weeks before the Francophonie Summit
The show comes two weeks before the 20th Francophonie Summit, in Phnom Penh from 14 to 16 November. It is a first for the Kingdom, and only the second time the summit has been held in the Asia-Pacific region. The King has presented the event as an opportunity for Cambodia to reaffirm its commitment to Francophone values, and to show the distinctive place of the Francophonie in the region.
In September, three of the school’s students accompanied Prince Tesso to Strasbourg and Colmar, for the twinning of the Alliances Françaises of Siem Reap and Strasbourg.
In December 2024, the school presented “Zhou Daguan in the Kingdom of Chenla”, named after the Chinese traveller who described Angkor at the end of the 13th century. Introductory classes in Khmer classical dance are held in Phnom Penh on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
See the full photo album of the show on Cambodge Mag’s Facebook page.
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