We sat right in front of the clearing as the children performed for us. They shared with us the meanings and origins of their dances, helping us to understand the symbolism and including us in their culture for a few hours. We received a glimpse of the old Cambodia, one that is, surprisingly, still a big part of their lives. Honoring what Cambodia was is one of they ways that the children here have grown to deeply love their country. These are not bitter, unhappy children. They understand patriotism.
The girls danced and Absara dance. Absara are angels. They line the walls of the Temples in Angkor and are present in most Khmer art. Absara are symbols of beauty, a remnant of Paeganism in Cambodia. Pattica tells me that Absara were used in the King's palace so that the gods would look down on the palace and see that there were angels there who could take care of him.
The young boys danced the Monkey dance. Monkeys are little troublemakers, so it's a perfect fit. They have twisted cloth that forms a tail as part of their costumes. The dance includes a lot of rolling around and imitating the movements of a monkey. The boys climb on eachother or fight for a banana, it's really cute to see them dance together.
Then some of the teenage girls and boys danced the Coconut dance. They click coconut shells together, with themselves or with other dancers, as they weave in and out of formations.
There were other dances. There was the dance that exhibited the life of rice farmers and one that was only danced by the teenage boys, each introduced by Pattica.
When the presentation was over, we ate together and when all of that was done, the dancing started again. This time, it was music that we were more familiar with. The rest of the evening was spent jamming to popular songs that were as familiar to us as they are to the kids.
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