They say dance is the hidden language of the soul; the art form used to represent and honor culture, but did you know that some of them were only permitted to be seen by the eyes of royal families and their honored guests?
Such was the Khmer Apsara Dance—it was considered as one of the most prominent and most precious dance forms in Cambodia. More context can be found in the name itself: Apsara is a female spirit, a nymph representing clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. As delegates of peace between Gods and Kings, Apsaras would often use their dances and beauty to distract or ensnare those who threatened the harmony or the power of those who ruled. This Cambodian classical dance was established as a bridge between the spiritual and natural world.
Rooted in ancient Indian mythology, the dance is extremely complex; made of more than 1500 hand gestures with every single movement of the fingers having a particular meaning. It constitutes a link between the different religions in Cambodia (Animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism) as seen in various religious texts and traditions throughout the ages. This may be by hand forming the shape of a blossoming flower symbolizing a sign of respect to the spirits of nature or referring to one of the hundreds of legends of Buddhism or Hinduism. Its origins date back to the 7th century. The most famous Khmer King of the Angkorian period, Javayarman VII (12th century), was said to have over three thousand Apsara dancers in his court.
The emblem of Khmer culture, the Apsara dance embodies the traditional values of refinement, respect, and spirituality. Apsara dancers depict the stories carved on the walls of
Angkor Wat. As they dance, they would be dressed in traditional costumes seen on the walls:
draped in elegant silk with floral motifs, ornate headdresses, and jewelry.
Cambodian children, most commonly girls, are trained in flexibility from a very young age. The training usually starts before the age of 10 and lasts for 15 years. This is so that the hands gain enough flexibility to perform the intricate hand patterns the Apsara requires. They would be taught to bend their fingers and reach the wrist as if joints (which are real) didn't exist!
One of the reasons the Apsara dance is embraced dearly is because the dance has survived through much of Cambodia’s history. Between the myth of fairies, the Apsara dance is not so far off in time. During the 1940s, Queen Sisowath Kossamik arrived at a great realization through a youth display of Apsaras' movements seen on the walls of the Angkor War that such an ancient dance is worthy of a personal passion. Her granddaughter would then be chosen to pursue a professional dance career and soon enough reached a major milestone: being the modern era's first Apsara dancer.
Another notable feat of this tradition was surviving the repressive rule of the Khmer Rouge in the latter 1970s. At a time when almost 90% of Cambodia’s artists and intellectuals were systematically eradicated, the Apsara Dance prevailed. Right after the defeat of Pol Pot in 1979, master dancers revived the traditional dance.
Though it was traditionally only performed for kings, today it is performed in celebration of Cambodia and tourists alike as part of sacred ceremonies and award presentations. Restaurants today hold nightly Apsara performances, and tourists can also catch these in performing arts venues as well as in museums. It is an enormous part of Cambodia’s national pride and heritage. In 2003, UNESCO recognized the Apsara dance as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. This was the first time that a form of Cambodian cultural heritage made the list.
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References
Burton, Kim. “Everything You Must Know About the Apsara Traditional Dance.” Green Cultural Travel, 22 July 2016, www.greenculturaltravel.com/everything-you-must-know-about-apsara-traditional-dance/.
“Classical Apsara Dance.” Artisans Angkor, www.artisansdangkor.com/traditions-21-104-classical-apsara-dance.php.
Culture Trip. “A Guide to Cambodia's Traditional Apsara Dance.” “A Guide to Cambodia's Traditional Apsara Dance.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 1 Dec. 2017, theculturetrip.com/asia/cambodia/articles/soaring-on-clouds-a-guide-to-cambodias-traditional-dance/.
Global Children. “The History of Apsara Dance.” Global Children Cambodia, 1 June 2015, global-children.org/the-history-of-apsara-dance/.
Keomuda, Vanly. “Apsara Dance: The Pride and Joy of Cambodia.” Medium, Medium, 16 Oct. 2017, medium.com/@voicesofyouthcambodia/apsara-dance-the-pride-and-joy-of-cambodia-928eb4af1fa0.
“The Khmer Apsara Dance – A Harmony of Past and Present.” Heritage Line, 21 Sept. 2021,
O'Donnell, Shannon. “Apsara Dancing: Dancers Practice Intricate Cambodian Hand Destures.” A Little Adrift Travel Blog, alittleadrift.com/travel-memory-cambodian-dancers-children/.
“Royal Ballet of Cambodia.” UNESCO, ich.unesco.org/en/RL/royalballet-ofcambodia-00060.
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About the authors
This article was jointly written by Alexis Bienne Montaller, Kurt Gavieta, and Andrea Papio.
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