Presented by Baryshnikov Arts Center

”Khmeropédies is not only beautiful; not only powerful. It is enlightening.”
-Toni Morrison

Created by French-Cambodian choreographer Emmanuèle Phuon, with Sam Sathya, Chey Chankethya, Phon Sopheap, and Chumvan Sodhachivy—four traditional Khmer dancers from Cambodia—Khmeropédies explores the thrilling collision of Western choreographic forms and traditional Khmer dance.

Each performance will be followed by a discussion with the artists.

VIEW IMAGES

Produced by Amrita Performing Arts with support from the Asian Cultural Council.

Photo by Anders Jiras

Emmanuèle Phuon (choreographer) is French-Cambodian and lives in Brussels, Belgium. She started her training with the Royal Ballet of Cambodia at age five. In 1975, she moved with her mother to Bangkok, where she lived until age 16. At that time, she decided to become a dancer and left for Avignon, France where she graduated from the Conservatoire National de Danse in 1986. In 1987, she came to New York. She performed with Elisa Monte Dance Company from 1989 to1994, and White Oak Dance Project from 1995 to 2001, and has also worked with Martha Clarke, Joachim Schloemer, Meg Stuart, and Yvonne Rainer, among others. She is a 2009 Asian Cultural Council grantee.

Khmeropédies I & II explore the possibilities of applying contemporary choreographic ideas to classical Khmer dance. Using elements of Khmer court dance vocabulary as a base and incorporating contemporary Western movement and techniques, the work explores how and where these different styles and ideas meet. Khmeropédies I is a solo performed by Chumvan Sodhachivy. Khmeropédies II is created with and performed by four extraordinary dancers: Sam Sathya, Chey Chankethya, Phon Sopheap, and Chumvan Sodhachivy. Music for Khmeropédies I & II ranges from the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten to Yves Montand to Tiny Toones (a Cambodian rap group formed by street kids). Lighting design is by Robert W. Henderson, Jr.