Contemporary Dance Platform
Emerging Cambodian choreographers share their new works in progress
Friday May 9, 2014
Venue: Department of Performing Arts
Brothers
Khon Chansina and Khon Chan Sithyka
Brothers: A work in progress
Choreographers and Dancers Khon Chansina (Nan) and Khon Chan Sithyka (Mo)
Costume Designer Vong Vannak
NOTES FROM THE CHOREOGRAPHERS: We, two brothers, went to the dance school and were trained in Lakhaon Kaol (Cambodian classical male masked dance). We remember the two monkey warriors and brothers in the Khmer story of Reamker (Ramayana), Peali and Sugrip. This work explores our relationship as brothers and artists. We are brothers and artists. We have almost the same ideas in all things. What would our relationship be? How would it last? Brothers may separate due to time and circumstances no matter, whether or not they have an intimate relationship. Through this work, we share our stories as brothers.
BIOGRAPHIES
Khon Chan Sithyka (Mo) (Choreographer and Dancer) began his training in Lakhaon Kaol (Cambodian classical male masked dance) in 2002, focusing on the role of the monkey, and completed his training in 2011. Throughout his studies he has performed extensively with the Sovanna Phum Khmer Association. Mo has performed in Stravinsky's Persephone directed by Peter Sellars at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Bach Cello Suite by Chumvan Sodhachivy (Belle) and Nam Narim in Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia, Horizontal Life by Chung Yeun Soo in Phnom Penh, and Khmeropedies III: Source/Primate at the Guggenheim Museum as part of Season of Cambodia Festival in April 2013 and at the da:ns Festival in Singapore in October 2013.
Khon Chansina (Nan) (Choreographer and Dancer) began his training in Lakhaon Kaol (Cambodian classical male masked dance) in 2002, focusing on the role of the monkey, and completed his training in 2011. Throughout his studies he has performed extensively with the Sovanna Phum Khmer Association. He has participated in dance workshops with Arco Renz, Eko Supriyanto, and Cynthia Ling Lee. Nan has performed in Bach Cello Suite by Chumvan Sodhachivy (Belle) and Nam Narim in Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia, Horizontal Life by Chung Yeun Soo in Phnom Penh, and Khmeropedies III: Source/Primate at the Guggenheim Museum as part of Season of Cambodia Festival in April 2013 and at the da:ns Festival in Singapore in October 2013.
Amrita Performing Arts Team
Executive Director Kang Rithisal
Associate Director Hannah Stevens
Production Coordinator Hourt Bunny
Comms Manager Claire Wilcock
Production Assistant Chen Borey
Finance Officer Mech Keom Eang
Administrator Lim Chanboramy
Founded in October 2013, the Contemporary Dance Platform is a new phase for Amrita Performing Arts in nurturing and furthering Cambodian' choreographic development. Following the momentum ofyears of artistic collaborations with international choreographers and directors, Cambodian choreographers are tapping into their new found skills and their classical training in theof new works, as they continue to develop their own Cambodian contemporary dance vocabulary.
The Contemporary Dance Platform focuses on the creative processes that choreographers and dancers participate in. Three choreographers were given resources to work for five weeks with a selection of artists of their choice. Musicians, costume designers and makers were invited by the choreographers to join this process, demonstrating their open-mindedness and willingness to experiment and collaborate. Through dialogue and support they were able to explore ideas and movements in their works. This journey allows us to build not only emerging choreographers but also other related arts practitioners.
Well-established choreographers, producers, and scholars from Cambodia and the region, who have worked with Amrita and the artists in the past and possess insightful perspectives of the performing arts, are invited to join the Platform and participate in the feedback session after the performance. This allows a critical and nurturing discourse between the artists, their peers and local expertise at the session.
This Platform is special because it is the first time a majority of these choreographers have created their own work. These works in progress, Brothers, Complicated, and Religion, will be showcased tonight. The enriching artistic experience gained through this process and the progress these choreographers have made in this journey is extraordinary and a great contribution to building artistic leadership for Cambodia's bourgeoning arts scene.
Amrita Performing Arts is an International NGO based in Phnom Penh, with US nonprofit status. Amrita is committed to the creation of Cambodian contemporary dance and theater, responding to the creative drive of a young generation of artists who have taken on the task of ushering Cambodia's ancient performing arts heritage into the future. Our work is developed through workshops based on intensive exchange and dialogue with international collaborators. All of our efforts emphasize capacity building as we assist in nurturing a new generation of Cambodian choreographers, directors and practitioners in all areas of arts management.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank H.E. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts for her support of our work at Amrita. We would also like to thank the following people who have contributed time and energy to this Platform: Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, Founder & Artistic Director of Sophiline Arts Ensemble (Cambodia); Peter Chin, Artistic Director of Tribal Crackling Wind (Canada); Neo Kim Seng, Independent producer/director (Singapore); Peter Wilson, Independent theater director (Australia) and Marion D'Cruz, Professor from National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA) (Malaysia). Many thanks also go to Fred Frumberg, Chumvan Sodhachivy, Nou Sandab, Nam Narim, Anders Jiras, Khmer Arts, Tiny Toones, Java Arts and Gallery, and all those who continue to support us.