Arts for Cambodian Children & Teens at Champey

I can't think of a better title for this project report than " planting the seeds".

Planting is a word rich with many meanings.   I love that our student demonstration of this foundation movement of Cambodian dance, teaches us  the  visual word , "  planting "   . It is a word  in a visually expressed "language" that tells a story that is a common thread  of every  civilization: planting new crops, sustaining life, creating new beginnings.

For our students especially, Champey Academy and the opportunities it offers our students,makes  the theme of "planting" and  new beginnings particularly appropriate. Champey Academy opens up the  world of art, music and dance to students and  is all about new beginnings, a new awakenings as students discover the vast talents that exist within themselves.  Champey plants the seeds of a new beginning for each of our students.

Mark is in Cambodia right now  and spending time at Champey where our  Champey students continue to amaze us with their creativity, their excellence  and their strong work ethic. This time of year, during school vacation,  Champey is  a  very  busy  place  as it also  serves as an " overflow" community center  for local students and children in the community as they come to participate in classes offered twice each day, teaching them about their rich cultural heritage of art, painting , music and dance, many of them, introduced to this world  for the first time.

Link 1 below:

Our  senior and middle students  have been working hard to help us better showcase  their talents and skills . This update will   introduce you to our new slide show which shows several of the  core hand movements that are essential in Cambodia dance to tell traditional stories.  See our video below and learn about the hand movements that are the foundation of Cambodian classical dance.

Link 2 below:

On Sunday, April 3, Champey's dance students performed in a recital at Phnom Penh's  well known  Chaktomuk theater. The program that day included performances by arts groups from around Phnom Penh.  The Champey students performed an original, nature themed piece choreographed by our teacher, Mr. Hang Sela.  Their performance earned them rave reviews and helped to raise Champey Academy's profile in the Phnom Penh arts community.  Click on the link below to view a brief video from their performance.

Link 3 below:

Our students present Lesson I in Classical Cambodian Dance along with an English narration.

More news:

As the reputation of Champey and its students  grows , our students have recently been performing for groups of hotel tourists who have visited Champey. Our team of student " greeters" have been practicing their English language skills to the degree that they are now able to give a brief introduction and explanation about some of the basics of traditional Cambodian dance which is what has led to the video you  can see in Link 3.

We are so grateful to our  donors who have generously  supported Champey and whose kind donations  make these wonderful programs possible over a period of many years.  Your support has and continues to make a real difference in the lives of our students,  our student apprentice teachers and our adult  teachers.  We hope that you will continue to support our Champey students on this terrific artistic voyage  upon which they  have embarked.

Mark will return to the US on September 13, so please stay tuned for a more updates and new photos.

Thank you,

Barbara Rosasco

Links:

• Planting
• Champey Performs at Chaktomuk Theatre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• Lesson 1 in Cambdian Classical Dance with student narration