Traditional Performance Celebrates Khmer Arts

—Photo courtesy of Khmer Arts

TRADITIONS. Dancers from the Khmer Arts perform a rare canon that dates back centuries to the palaces of Cambodia.

Posted: Tuesday, October 9, 2012

By Stephanie Minasian
Gazettes Staff Writer 

In Cambodia, Ream Eyso and Moni Mekhala is a sacred, classical dance told through elaborate costumes and traditional music that celebrates the passage of knowledge and leadership within lineages.
The Khmer Arts will commemorate its 10 years of service with a rare, sold-out performance of the dance on Saturday at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

The history of Ream Eyso and Moni Mekhala goes back to the palaces and temples of Cambodia for centuries, according to Prumsodun Ok, Associate Artistic Director of Khmer Arts, and was once used as a prayer to evoke the fall of rain. It was seen as a symbol of fertility and prosperity.

“Ream Eyso and Moni Mekhala is more than a rain dance,” Ok said. “It is the riveting story of an innovative woman who triumphs in a masculine universe. When you consider the violent history of Cambodia, where 80% to 90% of artists are known to have died during the Khmer Regime, there’s something magical that this dance is still alive.”

The Khmer Arts was co-founded in 2002 by choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro and her husband John. It provides academy, ensemble, media, research and archiving programs to celebrate, teach and preserve Cambodian traditions and history.

“It has now grown into a trans-national organization,” Ok said. “The academy is based here in Long Beach and provides workshops for people 4 to 30 years old and is open to the public.”

Khmer Arts has helped carry on traditional dances, while created new choreography and performing them across the world.

The organization also has a touring ensemble based in Cambodia, which will perform alongside students from the Long Beach academy in this performance.

“It is a story about the passage of knowledge and leadership within lineages, something that second generation Cambodian American practitioners, such as myself can take to heart,” Ok added. “We live in a society where politicians who govern us use terms like ‘legitimate rape.’ These men are trying to legislate a woman’s body.”

In the canon, the woman brings down a storm demon, causing the gods and humans to become afraid of her.

“She does it with wit and her own knowledge,” Ok said. “It’s a powerful image of a woman. It’s important to revive and keep alive the transitional images that offer social possibilities.”

The performance at LBMA will take place in the round before an altar, as it was done in the past at palaces in Cambodia. The 16 dancers from Long Beach and Cambodia will be adorned in colorful jeweled costumes and golden crowns.

“The performance of Ream Eyso and Moni Mekhala for our celebration — here in Long Beach, the de facto capital of the Cambodian diaspora — acts as a testament to the resilience of beauty in the shadow of genocide, loss and trauma,” Ok added.

While Saturday’s performance is sold out, those interested in learning more about the Khmer Arts can call 472-0097 or visit the website at www.khmerarts.com.