Sophiline Cheam Shapiro
Encyclopedia
Sophiline Cheam Shapiro (ឝភីរោ ជៀម សុភិលីន) (born in 1967 in Phnom Penh
, Cambodia
) is a Cambodian dancer and choreographer.
. When the civil war of Cambodia ended, one of the first priorities for the nation was to reopen the national School of Fine Arts. Sophiline was one of the first students to learn from the masters of dance who had survived both the end of the court and the later violence of Pol Pot, who specially targeted artists. Being among the first generation of classically trained Cambodia
n dancers to graduate from the School of Fine Arts in Phnom Phen, Sophiline devoted herself to master the complex and intricate gestures and movements of classical Cambodian dance. Along with her husband, Sophiline launched the Khmer
Arts Academy to teach a new generation of Cambodian-Americans the traditional art and culture of Cambodia.
called SAMRITHECHAK (2000) (សម្រីតិចក់) where she used symbolism and metaphors to allude the Khmer Rouge
of their guilt and denial of the crimes they committed on Cambodia
. Her choreography includes THE GLASS BOX (2002) and SEASONS OF MIGRATION (2005), which she has set on Cambodia’s finest performing artists and toured to three continents. Notable venues include Cal Performances, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, New York’s Joyce Theater and the Venice Biennale. PAMINA DEVI had its world premiere at the Schonbrunn Palace Theater as part of Vienna’s New Crowned Hope Festival (2006). Her most recent project, a collaboration with composer Chinary Ung for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, is scheduled to premiere at Walt Disney Concert Hall in November 2008. She has received numerous honors, including Asia 21, Creative Capital, Durfee, Guggenheim and Irvine Dance Fellowships, as well as the Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture. She was a member of the first generation to train at and graduate from Phnom Penh’s School of Fine Arts after the fall of Pol Pot, and she has studied dance ethnology at the undergraduate and graduate level at UCLA’s Department of World Arts & Cultures In 2009 she was made a National Heritage Fellow
, and was also named a 2009 Fellow by United States Artists
.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
) is a Cambodian dancer and choreographer.
Early life
At the age of eight she was forced to live in the countryside of Cambodia after her family was evacuated from the city by the Khmer RougeKhmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
. When the civil war of Cambodia ended, one of the first priorities for the nation was to reopen the national School of Fine Arts. Sophiline was one of the first students to learn from the masters of dance who had survived both the end of the court and the later violence of Pol Pot, who specially targeted artists. Being among the first generation of classically trained Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n dancers to graduate from the School of Fine Arts in Phnom Phen, Sophiline devoted herself to master the complex and intricate gestures and movements of classical Cambodian dance. Along with her husband, Sophiline launched the Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
Arts Academy to teach a new generation of Cambodian-Americans the traditional art and culture of Cambodia.
Career
Sophiline Shapiro (artistic director) is a groundbreaking choreographer, dancer, vocalist and educator whose challenging work has infused the venerable classical form with new ideas and energy. In 1990 Shapiro did a classical Cambodian dance adaptation of OthelloOthello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
called SAMRITHECHAK (2000) (សម្រីតិចក់) where she used symbolism and metaphors to allude the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
of their guilt and denial of the crimes they committed on Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Her choreography includes THE GLASS BOX (2002) and SEASONS OF MIGRATION (2005), which she has set on Cambodia’s finest performing artists and toured to three continents. Notable venues include Cal Performances, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, New York’s Joyce Theater and the Venice Biennale. PAMINA DEVI had its world premiere at the Schonbrunn Palace Theater as part of Vienna’s New Crowned Hope Festival (2006). Her most recent project, a collaboration with composer Chinary Ung for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, is scheduled to premiere at Walt Disney Concert Hall in November 2008. She has received numerous honors, including Asia 21, Creative Capital, Durfee, Guggenheim and Irvine Dance Fellowships, as well as the Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture. She was a member of the first generation to train at and graduate from Phnom Penh’s School of Fine Arts after the fall of Pol Pot, and she has studied dance ethnology at the undergraduate and graduate level at UCLA’s Department of World Arts & Cultures In 2009 she was made a National Heritage Fellow
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
, and was also named a 2009 Fellow by United States Artists
United States Artists
United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
.
External links
- Khmer Arts Academy Seasons of Migration (preview) vdo
- Chhouy Chai vdo
- Robam Makor Choreographed by Sophiline Cheam Shapiro and Chariya Burt vdo
- Robam Joun Por Choreographed by Professor Sophiline Cheam Shapiro and Chariya Burt vdo