Theatre of Cambodia
Encyclopedia
Theatre of Cambodia known as Lakhon is composed of many different genres. There are three main categories: classical, folk, and modern. Many forms of theatre in Cambodia incorporates dance movement into performances and are referred to as dance dramas.
Classical
- Royal Ballet of Cambodia or lakhon preah reach trop is the main form of classical dance drama performed in Cambodia. It is anagalous to the lakhon naiLakhon naiLakhon nai is a performing art originating in the royal court of Thailand . It features a slow choreography accompanied by a piphat ensemble enacted with epic poems such as that of Inao and Unarut...
of Thailand. It is also referred to as lakhon luong and lakhon kbach boran khmer in Cambodia. This dance drama is the most refined of all theatre in Cambodia and was particularly patronized by royalty. It is heavily stylized with gestures and postures meant to entrance the viewer.
- Lakhon khol is a masked dance drama featuring male performers. The repertoire consists solely of material from ReamkerReamkerReamker is a Cambodian epic poem, based on the Sanskrit's Ramayana epic. The name means "Glory of Rama". It adapts the Hindu ideas to Buddhist themes and shows the balance of good and evil in the world. More than just a reordering of the epic tale, the Reamker is a mainstay of the royal ballet's...
. The choreography is styled similarly to the Royal Ballet of Cambodia although not as refined and is performed along to narrarators and a pinpeatPinpeatThe pinpeat orchestra or musical ensemble performs the ceremonial music of the royal cours and temples of Cambodia. The orchestra consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind and percussion . It accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies...
ensemble.
- Lakhon pol srey is a dance drama akin to the lakhon khol; the performers being female however. Both forms combine classical theater and dance and are accompanied by the traditional pin peat orchestra. Unlike lakhon khol, which use a separate group of narrators, lakhon pol srey dancers take turns narrating while other members continue to dance. The dancers often lift their masks and narrate directly to the audience. It is believed to have originated from the Kingdom of OudongOudongUdong is a town in Cambodia, situated in the north-western part of Kandal Province. The town is located on top of the mountain Phnom Udong, about 40 km northwest of the capital Phnom Penh...
between 1618-1628 during the reign of King Preah Bat Chey Chetha II. In 1878, Ms. Chinh, a great art teacher from Koh Oknheatey, came to teach lakhaon poul srei in Vat Keansvay Krao. Today, one of her students, a 70 year-old woman, Ms. Chea Samut, has taken a lead role in reviving lakhaon poul srei and currently teaches this drama form to students at Wat Keansvay Krao, after having disappeared for more than 40 years.
- Lakhon berk bat is a lost theatre form in Cambodian Court. It is believed to have originated in the Post-Angkor periodDark ages of CambodiaThe Dark Ages of Cambodia, covers the history of Cambodia from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, a period of continued decline and territorial loss. Cambodia enjoyed a brief period of prosperity during the sixteenth century because its kings, who built their capitals in the region southeast...
. Some older Royal Ballet dancers also recalled hearing that it was created in the late AngkorAngkorAngkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara , meaning "city"...
period, but little is known as to why it was discontinued. Evidence reveals that the drama was re-instituted during the reign of OudongOudongUdong is a town in Cambodia, situated in the north-western part of Kandal Province. The town is located on top of the mountain Phnom Udong, about 40 km northwest of the capital Phnom Penh...
city by King Preah Bat NorodomNorodom of CambodiaNorodom I ruled as king of Cambodia from 1860 to 1904. He was the eldest son of King Ang Duong, who ruled on behalf of Siam, and half-brother of Prince Si Votha as well as the half-brother of King Sisowath. Norodom is cognate with Narottam in Sanskrit which means Best of men . Norodom was...
in the late 1950s1950sThe 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
. The form disappeared again in the late 1970s during the time of the Khmer RougeKhmer RougeThe 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...
regime. It is assumed that lakhon berk bat was only performed in the presence of royal or noble families due to the dancers elaborate and expensive costumes and jewelry. As the art form emphasized beauty, character and technique, performers were expected to be not only beautiful, but to be able to act, sing, and speak well. The ability to sing unaccompanied was especially prized.
- Lakhon nang sbek (lit., shadow puppet theatre) refers to Khmer shadow theatreKhmer shadow theatreKhmer shadow theatre are forms of shadow play in which leather shadow puppets are used. The two main genres include Sbek Thom, which features the Reamker, the other being Sbek Toch uses smaller puppets and a wide range of stories...
Folk
- YikeYikeYike is a genre of dance drama from Cambodia with strong Cham and Malay influences. Yike is performed in nearly every province of Cambodia and by the Khmer Krom communities in southern Vietnam. The Khmer Krom have two terms for it, the yike as the rest of Khmer communities, and the yuke which is...
is dance drama with strong influences from Cham and Malay culture. It utilizes a style of singing reminiscent of the Islamic traditions of the Cham and Malay people. It incorporates basic dance movements with the hands swaying back and forth, although not as stylized as classic forms. The music consists of rebanaRebanaRebana is a Malay tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The sound of Rebana often accompany Islamic ritual such as the zikir. The name Rebana came from the Arabic word Robbana meaning "our God".-Rebana in...
drums and other Khmer instruments such as the troTro (instrument)Tro is the generic name for traditional bowed string instruments in Cambodia.Instruments in this family include the two-stringed tro u, tro sau toch, tro sau thom, and tro che, as well as the three-stringed tro Khmer spike fiddle....
.
- Lakhon bassac is one of the most popular folk theatre in CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. It takes its name from the districts adjoining in the Bassac riverBassac RiverThe Bassac River is a distributary of the Tonle Sap and Mekong River. The river starts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and flows southerly, crossing the border into Vietnam near Châu Đốc....
in the former Cambodian province of Preah Trapeang, now known as Trà Vinh Province and part of Southern VietnamSouthern VietnamFor the former country, see South VietnamSouthern Vietnam is one of the three regions within Vietnam .The largest city in the South is Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's largest city....
. In the day of French ruleColonial CambodiaIn 1863, Cambodia under king Norodom became a protectorate of France. In October 1887, the French announced the formation of the Union Indochinoise , which at that time comprised Cambodia, already an autonomous French possession, and the three regions of Vietnam...
, the troupes freely moved between CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Southern VietnamSouthern VietnamFor the former country, see South VietnamSouthern Vietnam is one of the three regions within Vietnam .The largest city in the South is Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's largest city....
, for both areas is the part of French IndochinaFrench IndochinaFrench Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. It is reminiscent of Vietnamese opera with the male character costumes styled after Vietnamese opera costumes, although the female characters wears traditional Cambodian costumes. Lakhon bassac is the only theatre form familiar with in which IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n based theatrical elements and Sinic based theatrical elements are mixed in almost equal amount.
- Lakhon phleng kar is a drama performed accompanied by traditional weddingWeddingA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
music. This theatre form had travel from the court into the regular people's favourite. It notable used in Cambodia for the rich family until LovekLovekLongvek was a city in ancient Cambodia, the capital city of the country after the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese in 1431. Little more than a village today in Kampong Chhnang Province, it lies just north of Oudong....
era after the strongly Javanese Influenced both on Music and wedding dress. The drama, like the music, is believed to have appeared as early as the 1st century during the wedding ceremony of Preah Thong and Neang Neak.
- Lakhon ape is a mixture of yike and classical dance form
- Lakhon kamnap (lit., poetry theatre)
- Lakhon mahori (lit., mahori theatre) consists of folkloric dance accompanied by a mahoriMahoriThe mahori is a form of Thai and Cambodian classical ensemble which was traditionally played by women in the courts of both Central Thailand and Cambodia...
ensemble.