Apsar dance - entertainment of gods and kings

Classical Khmer dance is derived from Indian court dance, which in turn took on the characteristics of the dance of the mythical demigoddesses, the Apsar. These celestial maidens were created specifically to provide entertainment for the gods. They are also considered spirits of the clouds and waters, and can be compared to the nymphs present in Greek and Roman mythology.

Modern dancers are clad in colorful costumes with fancy headgear, but this was not always the case; for centuries Apsars performed only in topless attire. It wasn't until the 19th century, after the colonization of Cambodia, that the French began to fight for morality and banned these "shameless costumes," covering up the nakedness with beautiful fabrics. Since then, Cambodian dancers no longer shock anyone with their exposed breasts, hiding them under an exquisite sari-like gown embroidered with gold threads.

What is an Apsar dance?

Imagine a language of 3,500 words. Imagine that every single word is replaced by a gesture, and these gestures - like words - tell stories of joy and suffering, of war and love, of the creation of the world and the charms of nature. This is the soul of Cambodia: Cambodian temple dance.

The dancers move very smoothly, steadily, being the true embodiment of grace and elegance. They are accompanied by an orchestra of drums, gongs and bamboo xylophones. Studying one and only one dance takes, depending on the complexity, from 6 to 12 months. The dancers' costumes are handmade and have remained unchanged for centuries. It takes 2 to 3 hours to dress and adjust the costume before each performance.

Apsars of Angkor Wat

Images of the cheerful female dancers who once entertained the gods can be found at every turn in Cambodia. The graceful movements of Apsars clad in magnificent gold and silk costumes (still topless) can be admired on more than 1,800 bas-reliefs in the temples of Angkor Wat. According to historians, there were more than 3,000 female dancers at the court of King Jayavarman VII, who reigned from 1181-1218. Each Khmer ruler selected a hundred of the most beautiful girls of his people each year and had them trained in the art of dance. In order to master more than 3,500 different hand movements and gestures, learning had to (and should) begin in childhood.

An unintentional similarity

Over the past centuries, Khmer dances have influenced the dances of neighboring nations. Quite simply, some of their dance movements and poses are fully compatible with those seen in the dances of other Southeast Asian cultures. The explanation for this fact is very simple: the Khmer state was born as early as the 8th century A.D., or 500 years before the kingdom of Thailand was established. At the beginning of the 15th century, after the Thai invasion, the Angkor Empire fell, and the Apsar dancers were captured and taken to the court of the Thai king.

Yet Apsar dancing did not die!

During the tragic times of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia, more than two million people lost their lives, including almost all the dancers of the royal ballet. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the few artists who managed to survive began to bring classical Apsar dance back to life. Most girls begin training at the age of 5 or 6. The most talented of them are then admitted to the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, where they receive higher education in addition to nine years of dance training. Unlike in the old days, when this magnificent spectacle was available only to gods and kings, today Khmer ballet is danced for all audiences.

To grasp all the subtleties of Cambodian dance - a very difficult matter. It is like a poem, in which every gesture means another word. Like a foreign language, which, although we do not understand, but we sense its intonation. Although not all gestures are fully understood, this does not prevent us from grasping their meaning, emphasized by the sensual charm of the divine nymphs.