Arts for Cambodian Children & Teens at Champey

Champey Academy of Arts  - May 2018 GlobalGiving Update 

Our Champey Academy of Arts continues to be a joyful place for young people and many of our most experienced students are developing into fine dancers, musicians and artists. Currently 60 to 70 young people attend classes at each day and we expect that number to climb to nearly 90 after the students complete their government school year-end exams in July.  During the August and September school holiday months, the music room, the drawing classroom and the dance stage will almost certainly all be filled to capacity with 90 to 100 students crowding into our small facility each day. 

In the photos, our male dance teacher and one of his senior students practice the very athletic movements required to  perform thr male dance teacher and one of his senior students practice the very athletic movements required to perform the ‘night fight dance.’ In that dance, which depicts an episode from the Reamker, 4 to 6 male dancers, each wearing full classical costume and paper mache mask and carrying wooden knives, perform a series of highly acrobatic maneuvers which always leave the audience and the dancers breathless.  Most of our male students are too inexperienced to perform this dance but they are working hard and we hope that, in the coming high season, our team might be ready to stage this dance at some of the events around Phnom Penh to which Champey students and staff will be invited to perform.

 The popularity of our student performances continue to increase as our performance standards rise.  The dedicated and generous support of our supporters give these students a unique opportunity to explore their rich cultural  heritage and for some, continue to pursue their dreams of a career in dance and the arts.

We truly appreciate your support.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco