In Cambodia, there is a tradition of dance that dates back to the 7th century AD. The classical Khmer court dance is a dance that tells the stories of the Reamker, the Cambodian version of the Ramayana, where gods battle with demons and giants. One of the central characters of this epic is Hanuman, the great white monkey and his army of small monkeys.
The role of the small monkey was based on actual observations of monkeys native to the region and incorporates many movements such as scratching and quadrupedal walking. Dancers start training for this role at a very young age in order to master the prowess and difficulties that the role demands.
This project will elaborate on the gestures and stances of the monkey role. With the help of Yale Professor of Anthropology Eric J. Sargis and dramaturge Mr. How Ngean Lim, we will see how these disciplines could meet with choreography and the scenic arts. It would be very interesting to add to the original dance not only a whole new physical vocabulary, based on observations of other types of primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas, but also another level of reflection on related themes ranging from Darwinism, the individual and social structure, to revisiting the ancient myths of the Reamker. This study will then be reworked and be the premise for a new performance piece, which will take its roots in the tradition but end up to be resolutely contemporary.
Despite its recent violence (the Khmer Rouge regime in 1975 wiped out a quarter of its population, mainly artists and intellectuals) Cambodia is now ready to move beyond reconstruction into new territories. In a country where dance still defines national identity, responding to the need of a young generation in search of innovation can be instrumental in building a new class of artists and thinkers who in turn will reshape their society. This project will be done jointly with Amrita Performing Arts, an NGO dedicated to the preservation and revival of the performing arts in Cambodia. It is funded by Fondation Un Monde par Tous and Fondation La Ferthé.
