Arts for Cambodian Children & Teens at Champey

Champey 2015 – more new beginnings

The tourist season in Cambodia is in full force and we are so proud that Champey Academy recently seems to have been “ discovered” by tourists.   Visiting tourists have the opportunity to watch classes and learn about the history and process of learning classic Cambodian dance at Champey.

Additionally, we are currently in discussion with some of the smaller local hotels near the school  about the idea of hosting “ mini – performances” where a small group of senior students would perform a late afternoon short series featuring 2 or 3 dances  , lasting for about  30 minutes total,  to tourists staying at the hotels. Stay tuned for updates!

Other big news… We are pleased to announce the arrival of  a new director at Champey.  Beginning  mid - March, Mr. Meth Van Thy will be  replacing our outgoing director Mr. Wan Sithen who is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Sithen has been with Kasumisou Foundation for many years and we wish him the very best! Our new director,  Mr. Meth Van Thy, a graduate of the Royal University of Fine Arts,  is an established professional with more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit arena developing and supervising  performing arts programs for disadvantaged women and children.

As always, we are deeply grateful to our wonderful donors . None of this would be possible without you!

With our warmest regards,

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

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This Youthspark Project can receive a 100% donor match up to $ 500 per project per donor while funds are avaiable. Microsoft will offer $350,000 in matching funds : $ 175,000 at 9:00am New York time and $ 175,000 at 3:00 pm New York time on December 2, Giving Tuesday.

Update at Champey:

On October 12, 2014, Champey dancers were honored to perform as  part of  Peace Boat's  Cambodia- Japan Peace & Friendship Festival.

After 105 days at sea, Peace Boat's 84th Global Voyage returned yesterday to the port of Yokohama, Japan. Peace Boat’s navigators and participants in the Peace Boat’s Special University Programme ( Autumn 2014) visited 24 ports  including Sihanoukville, Cambodia near the end of the voyage.

While the ship was docked in Sihanoukville, a Cambodia - Japan Peace & Friendship Festival was organised by Peace Boat, the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the Cambodia Mine Action Centre (CMAC). Participants also enjoyed the rich culture of Cambodia while also learning about landmine issues as Peace Boat's ship visited the country for the first time in 16 years.

During the Peace Boat’s visit to Cambodia, and as a part of the festival, the Champey Academy of Arts danders were honored to be invited to perform, on Sunday, October 12, at the Japanese Cultural Center at the Royal University of Arts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city.  More than 20 of Champey’s dancers performed, demonstrating 3 traditional folk dances , including the “ Blessing Dance”, the “ Coconut Dance” and the "Fishing Dance"  before an audience of  approximately 200 Japanese students and teachers and an additional 100 Cambodian students.

This was a great opportunity for our  Champey students to gain international exposure and to have a personal  opportunity to meet and share Cambodian culture with Japanese students. Our hope is that this will be the first of many such opportunities.

Please note: The pictures attached  depict the two of the  dances, but these photos  were not taken at the  performance on October 12.