Royal Ballet of Cambodia

The Royal Ballet of Cambodia (Khmer: របាំព្រះរាជទ្រព្យ, Robam Preah Reach Troap, lit. 'Dance of Royal Wealth') is a classical Khmer dance known for its intricate hand movements and elaborate costumes. Historically linked to the Khmer court, it has been performed at various royal ceremonies such as coronations, weddings, funerals, and Khmer holidays. The repertoire includes various ancient Khmer legends.
The ballet faced near extinction during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s but continues to be a significant cultural heritage of Cambodia, reflecting traditional values of refinement, respect, and spirituality of the Khmer people. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists since 2003.
Western names for this dance tradition, such as Cambodian court dance, often make reference to the royal court, as the tradition was performed and maintained by attendants of the royal palaces. As a performing art, it is formally referred to as the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (le Ballet royal du Cambodge in French) by UNESCO, Cravath, Brandon, and others in the academic field, although this term may also refer to the National Dance Company of Cambodia. The term Khmer classical dance is also used alongside "Royal Ballet of Cambodia" in publications by UNESCO and the above-mentioned authors.
In Khmer, it is formally known as Robam Preah Reach Trop (របាំព្រះរាជទ្រព្យ, lit. "dances of royal wealth") or Lakhon Preah Reach Trop (ល្ខោនព្រះរាជទ្រព្យ, lit. "theatre of royal wealth"). It is also referred to as Lakhon Luong (ល្ខោនហ្លួង, lit. "the king's theatre"). During the Lon Nol regime of Cambodia, the dance tradition was referred to as Lakhon Kbach Boran Khmer (ល្ខោនក្បាច់បូរាណខ្មែរ, lit. "Khmer theatre of the ancient style"), a term alienating it from its royal legacy.
Khmer classical dancers, as a whole, are frequently referred to as apsara dancers by laymen; this usage would be incorrect with the modern form of the dance, as the apsara is just one type of character among others in the repertoire. Regardless, the tradition's romanticized affiliation with the apsaras and devatas of the ruins of Angkor still persists.
One of the earliest records of dance in Cambodia is from the 7th century, where performances were used as a funeral rite for kings. During the Angkor period, dance was ritually performed at temples. The temple performers came to be considered as apsaras, who served as entertainers and messengers to divinities. Ancient stone inscriptions describe thousands of apsara dancers assigned to temples and performing divine rites as well as for the public. The tradition of temple dancers declined during the 15th century, as the Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya raided Angkor. When Angkor fell, its artisans, Brahmins, and dancers were taken captive to Ayutthaya.
Cambodia became a French protectorate in 1863. Since then, dancers began performing for foreign dignitaries and for the public on the monarch's birthday. Dance was thereby, promoted as national identity.
Dancers of the court of King Sisowath were exhibited at the 1906 Colonial Exposition in Marseilles at the suggestion of George Bois, a French representative in the Cambodian court. Auguste Rodin was captivated by the Cambodian dancers and created at least 150 watercolour paintings of the dancers. He followed the Khmer ballet dancers from Paris to Marseille with their return to Phnom Penh. Rodin interpreted the performance as ballet dance.
Queen Sisowath Kossamak became a patron of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. Under the Queen's guidance, several reforms were made to the royal ballet, including choreography. Dance dramas were dramatically shortened from all-night spectacles to about one hour in length. Prince Norodom Sihanouk featured the dances of the royal ballet in his films. Though the Royal Ballet originally had no men due to the perception that male dancers did not perform with the refinement of women, contemporary performances include men in livelier roles such as a monkey and Moni Ey-Sey.
Under the Sangkum period, Cambodia underwent its cultural and artistic transformation spearheaded by prince (later, King) Norodom Sihanouk. Crowned in 1941 while the country was still a French Protectorate, he witnessed the World War II and subsequent collapse of French colonialism. While supporting neutrality of new post-colonial countries during the early Cold War period, he was aware that Cambodia was dependent on foreign aid. As a diplomatic design, he promoted symbols of the country's national culture that had entered the consciousness of people across the world: temples, and the ballet.
After Cambodia's independence in 1953, Queen Sisowath Kossamak started revamping the ballet incorporating the tastes and inclinations of international audience. She commissioned new short dance pieces tailored especially for a diplomatic event. They were mostly extracted from long, traditional performances such as, Tep Monorom (Welcome Dance), Apsara, Chhun Por (Blessing Dance), Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso. During these performances, western guests were provided a booklet to explain these in their respective languages.
In 1959, Queen Sisowath Kossamak visited the United States to introduce Khmer national culture through exhibition performances of the Khmer-American Friendship Ballet, originally titled The Ballet of Khmer-American Friendship 1959. The following year, the cultural ambassadorship programme continued in China under similar name, The Ballet of Khmer-Chinese Friendship 1960. When the king visited France in 1964, the dance was performed for the first time at the Paris Opera after colonial independence. Over the years, the ballet performances were important part of the itinerary for international head of states visiting the country. The list included, Indian prime minister Nehru, Indonesian president Sukarno, Yugoslavian president Tito, French president de Gaulle. Other famous figures included, Princess Margaret, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Norodom Buppha Devi, the granddaughter of the queen and daughter of King Norodom Sihanouk, was already elevated as the premier dancer of the ballet in 1958. When she turned eighteen in 1961, she was appointed the lead dancer for the roles of a princess. Thereby, she performed as several diplomatic events.
The dance tradition suffered setbacks during the Khmer Rouge regime, during which many dancers were put to death in the genocide. 90 percent of all Cambodian classical artists perished between 1975 and 1979 due to execution, torture, starvation, and exhaustion. After the Vietnamese ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979, dancers gathered to collectively reconstruct the repertoire. Those who survived wandered out from hiding, found one another, and formed "colonies" in order to revive their sacred traditions, under the leadership of former prima ballerina Voan Savay.
Khmer classical dance training was resurrected in the refugee camps in eastern Thailand with the few surviving Khmer dancers. Many dances and dance dramas were also recreated at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Cambodia.
In 2003 it was inducted into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
In 2023 director Xavier de Lauzanne released The Perfect Motion, [‘La beauté du geste’ in French, and ‘Tep Hattha’ in Khmer] an 86-minute documentary film on the dance form. It follows two storylines: the Metamorphosis show created by Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, and traces the history of the Royal Ballet from 1906.
Performed before the dance troupe enters the stage, the Teacher Salute Ceremony is a tribute to the teachers who trained them and is dedicated to the spirit that controls the spirit in each of the characters of the Royal Ballet, bidding them to ensure that their performances are smooth, confident and unobstructed. This ceremony originates from an ancient forerunner when the royal dance troupe had to offer blessings before they took the stage.
Four main types of roles exist in Khmer classical dance: neay rong (male), neang (female), yeak (rakshasa), and the sva (monkeys). These four basic roles contain sub-classes to indicate character rank; a neay rong ek, for example, would be a leading male role and a neang kamnan (or philieng) would be a maiden-servant. The sub-classes of the four main roles all perform in the same type of dancing style of the class they belong to. However, the yeakheney, or female Yeak, is performed with a feminized dancing style of the male counterpart. Other female character types, such as the apsara, kinnari, or mermaid, follow the same dancing style as the neang role but with subtle differences in gestures; the main difference being costume. The ngoh character type, although male, is presented with a different dancing style than the neay rong.
Most roles are performed by female dancers, but the role of monkeys was transferred to men under the guidance of Queen Sisowath Kosssamak. Other roles performed by men include hermits and animals such as horses and mythical lions.
The cast is divided into two forms, Neang as the female characters and Neay Rong as the male characters, which are described as follows:
Khmer classical dance uses particular pieces of music for certain events, such as when a dancer enters or leaves a scene, or performs certain actions, such as flying or walking. These musical pieces are arranged to form a suite. New pieces of music are rarely created.
Below is a select list of music pieces used in the repertoire:
During the era of the French Protectorate of Cambodia and before, it was customary for guests of the royal palace to receive a performance of the royal ballet. In propitiation ceremonies (បួងសួង, buong suong), it was performed at Wat Phnom and the Silver Pagoda and Throne Hall of the Royal Palace. For entertainment, performances were often staged inside the pavilions of royal palaces.
In Phnom Penh, the Moonlight Pavilion was built for and is still used occasionally for classical dance performances. Nowadays, venues for performances by the Royal Ballet include the Chenla Theatre and the Chaktomuk Conference Hall, designed by architect Vann Molyvann during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era. Tourist restaurants in Cambodia, notably in Siem Reap, also serve as venues for classical dance performances by amateur troupes.
Today, some dancers are linked to government and work at the Royal University of Fine Arts and Secondary School of Fine Arts as teachers. Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (Cambodia)'s Department of Performing Arts also engage dancers to perform on state visits. Many dancers work in the tourism, art, and corporate sectors.
The traditional stage for classical dance drama performances contains a table with a decorative pillow, sometimes laid on an Oriental rug or carpet. This table of low stature, called a krae (គ្រែ, lit. "bed"), is constant throughout the performance and thus is used as a prop that represents many places and things (a bed, a throne, living quarters, etc.).
In many dance dramas, characters often wield weapons such as bows, swords, staves, and clubs. In some dances, dancers hold items such as flower garlands, fans, and gold and silver flowers as a tribute (see bunga mas). Performances of robam makar (the makara dance) entail devas dancing in leisure and using fans to represent the scales of the mythical makara while the goddess Manimekhala leads the mimicry with her crystal ball of magic.
Khmer classical dancers use stylized movements and gestures to convey meaning and tell a story. These gestures are often vague and abstract, though some may be easily understood. Dancers do not sing or generally speak, except in some dance dramas where there are brief instances of speech by the dancers.
Hand gestures in Khmer classical dance are called kbach (meaning "style"). These hand gestures form a sort of alphabet and represent various things from nature such as fruit, flowers and leaves. They are used in different combinations and transitions with accompanying movement of the legs and feet to convey different thoughts and concepts. The way gestures are presented, the position of the arm, and the position of the hand relative to the arm can affect their meaning. Gestures are performed in different manners depending on the character type.
Classical dance costumes are highly ornate and heavily embroidered, sometimes including sequins and even semi-precious gems. Most of the costumes are thought to be representative of what divinities wear, as reflected in the art style of the post-Angkor period. Various pieces of the costume (such as shirts) have to be sewn onto the dancers for a tight fit.
The typical female, or neang, costume consists of a sampot sarabap (or charabap), a type of woven fabric with two contrasting silk threads along with a metallic thread (gold or silver in color). The sampot is wrapped around the lower body in a sarong-like fashion, then pleated into a band in the front and secured with a gold or brass belt. In the current style, part of the pleated brocade band hangs over the belt on the left side of the belt buckle, which is a clear distinction from Thai classical dance costumes where this pleated band is tucked into the belt to the right of the belt buckle. Worn over the left shoulder is a shawl-like garment called a sbai (also known as the robang khnang, literally "back cover"); it is the most decorative part of the female costume, embroidered extensively with tiny beads and sequins. The usual embroidery pattern for the sbai these days is a diamond-shaped floral pattern, but in the past there were more variations of floral patterns. Under the sbai is a silk undershirt or bodice worn with a short sleeve exposed on the left arm. Around the neck is an embroidered collar called a srang kar.
Jewelry for the female role includes a large, filigree square pendant of which is hung by the corner, various types of ankle and wrists bracelets and bangles, an armlet on the right arm, and body chains of various styles.
Male characters wear costumes that are more intricate than the females, as they require pieces, like sleeves, to be sewn together while being put on. They are dressed in a sampot sarabap like their female counterpart; however, it is worn differently. For the male, or neay rong, the sampot is worn in the chang kben fashion, where the front is pleated and pulled under, between the legs, then tucked in the back and the remaining length of the pleat is stitched to the sampot itself to form a draping 'fan' in the back. Knee-length pants are worn underneath, displaying a wide, embroidered hem around the knees. For the top, they wear long-sleeved shirts with rich embroidering, along with a collar, or srang kar, around their neck. On the end of their shoulders are a sort of epaulette that arches upwards like Indra's bow (known as inthanu). Other components of the male costumes are three richly embroidered banners worn around the front waist. The center piece is known as a robang muk while the two side pieces are known as a cheay kraeng; monkeys and yaksha characters wear another piece in the back called a robang kraoy.
Male characters also wear an X-like strap around the body called a sangvar; it may be made of gold-colored silk or chains of gold with square ornaments, the latter being reserved for more important characters. Males wear the same ankle and wrist jewelry as females, but with the addition of an extra set of bangles on the wrist and no armlets. They also wear a kite-shaped ornament called a sloek po (named after the bo tree leaf), which serves as a center point for their sangvar.
There are several types of crowns that denote characters' ranks. Commonly worn by female characters of the lowest rank is the kbang; it is also worn by Brahmin characters with ornaments around a bun of hair. Divinities and royal characters of the highest ranks wear a tall single-spire crown called a mokot ksat for male characters and a mokot ksatrey for female characters. The panchuret (Groslier romanizes this as panntiereth), reserved for princes and generals (sena), is a circlet-like crown with a faux knot in the back. The rat klao is worn by princesses and often by maidens of significance in a dance if they happen to not be of royal rank. Some characters' headdressings include ear ornaments as well as earrings. Characters such as the yahks and the monkeys wear masks. Yahks and monkeys of royal rank wear masks with a mokot attached.
Dancers are traditionally adorned with fragrant flowers, although sometimes fresh flowers are substituted with faux flowers. The floral tassel is traditionally made of Jasminum sambac strung together with Michelia flowers, being either Michelia × alba or Michelia champaca. The neang (female) role wears a rose above the right ear and a floral tassel attached to the left side of the crown while the neay rong (male) role wears a rose on the left ear and a floral tassel to the right side. Sometimes, dancers will wear jasmine garlands fit for the wrists. The apsara role is most often adorned with the flowers of either Plumeria obtusa or white cultivars of Plumeria rubra; sometimes plumerias are tied along the back of their hair.
According to The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre (1997), the Royal Ballet's repertoire contained approximately 40 dances and 60 dance dramas. Since the restoration of the Royal Ballet in the 1979, some of the old repertoire was recreated and several new dances were also created, most notably robam monosanhchettana by the late Chea Samy. As of recent years, new dance dramas have been created by the Royal Ballet, such as Apsara Mera. Sophiline Cheam Shapiro has also introduced new repertory to Khmer classical dance, although they are not part of the traditional royal repertoire and mainly have been performed in Western venues. Her works include dramas such as Samritechak, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello and Pamina Devi, an adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute.
The repertoire of dance dramas (រឿង, roeung) consists of a myriad of stories, unlike the lakhon khol, which is limited only to the Ramayana. Many of the dance dramas have analogs in the lakhon nai dance genre of Thailand but do not share the same choreography or exact storyline. During the time of Queen Kossamak, several dance dramas were re-choreographed and shortened such as Roeung Preah Thong-Neang Neak; this drama, among others, would be recreated in 2003.
The plots of many dance dramas often concern a male character who rescues a damsel in distress or destined love presented with obstacles. The traditional repertoire portrays mythology or traditional tales and may sometimes include religious concepts such as karma.
In contrast to the dance dramas are shorter dances known as robam. They can serve several purposes, such as honoring, ritualistic functions (e.g. securing the kingdom's fortune and prosperity), and blessing. Spanning several minutes or so, not all these dances have storylines, although many robam are indeed excerpts from dance dramas such as robam mekhala-reamso and robam sovan macchha (the latter being from the Reamker).
The 'apsara dance' of today was created under the guidance of Queen Kossamak Nearireath. Its costume is based on the bas-relief of apsaras on temple ruins but much of it, including its music and gesture, is not unique from other classical Khmer dances that probably do not date back to the Angkor period.
Notes in this section are referenced from the bibliography above.
Notes in this section reference material produced by laymen or reference material not generally considered a legitimate source on the subject matter at hand. They are unverified and not peer-reviewed.