ANGKOR DANCE TROUPE

Traditional Cambodian dance
Lowell, Massachusetts

For nearly 40 years, the Angkor Dance Troupe has stewarded traditional Cambodian dance and music in Lowell, Massachusetts, home to the second-largest Cambodian community in the United States. The group has proven how the arts can be used as a powerful means of community healing, resilience, and cultural continuity. This year marks 50 years since the Khmer Rouge, and the Angkor Dance Troupe’s performances at the Lowell Folk Festival honor this solemn anniversary.

Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge carried out a devastating genocide in Cambodia, and more than 90% of the country’s artists perished or fled. Dance and its associated narrative dramas, rituals, and beliefs became a way for Cambodians to reconstruct a sense of community and culture, particularly for refugees who resettled in other countries. Many came to the United States, to places like Lowell, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., determined to maintain their Cambodian cultural heritage.

Classical or court dance is central to Cambodian national and cultural identity, a source of pride that represents the beauty and spirituality of Cambodian people. The dance is particularly meaningful for postwar Cambodians as they work to reclaim and rebuild a treasured heritage. Many first practiced or saw the dance drama in refugee camps. For children born and raised in the camps or in other countries, it is a connection to the past and a way to experience revered ancient traditions. Folk dances, meanwhile, enable displaced Cambodians to remember their homeland and teach their children about the regional, agricultural, and social forces that shape the lives of Cambodia’s rural population. Traditional dance stands as a testimony to the endurance of Khmer culture.

Angkor Dance Troupe founder Tim Chan Thou and fellow founding members learned classical Cambodian dance in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border. They brought with them to Lowell a strong desire to practice and perform Cambodian dance and a passion to teach others, establishing a regular schedule to rehearse the correct postures and movements. The Angkor Dance Troupe is now a nationally recognized institution that has trained over 7,000 students and performed worldwide. They will be accompanied by an all-star ensemble of Cambodian musicians from Massachusetts and Maryland. The ensemble is led by master musicians, including Chum Ngek, a 2004 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow and a recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes Award, given to individuals who foster, promote, and sustain folk arts and traditions within their communities.

Artist social media and website:

angkordance.org
facebook.com/angkordancetroupe
instagram.com/angkordance
youtube.com/user/angkordance

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