What is the history of court dance in Cambodia?

Cambodian court dance, also known as Khmer Classical Dance, is not only symbolic but also reflects the traditional values of Cambodian elegance. In ancient times, Cambodian art and culture were closely related to the imported religion. Cambodia's religious beliefs go back to the time before the country was founded. The primitive inhabitants of Cambodia practiced Zoroastrianism and elf worship, which included both rivers and great mountains as well as birds and animals. Around the 1st century A.D., the ancient Indian culture was introduced to Cambodia's earliest Funan dynasty. Cambodia borrowed from Indian culture on the basis of the original indigenous culture, so the local people were y influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism, especially the Brahminism introduced from India. During the period of the Chenla Dynasty after the 6th century A.D., Cambodia had already become the center of Buddhism in Southeast Asia, and during this period, which created the splendid culture of Angkor, Brahminism and Mahayana Buddhism alternated with each other, and both flourished. During the reign of Gautama VII, the king was a devout Buddhist who built a large number of temples and rebuilt the city of Angkor, which shows the worship and belief in Buddhism at that time. In the Cambodian dance art, naturally, the shadow of religion cannot be erased, as can be seen from the court dance, the interpretation of roles and posture modeling aspects are based on various types of images of religion. These religious beliefs also laid the prototype of Khmer dance culture, the classical court dance gradually formed. Angkor period, the development of Khmer culture to its heyday, the art of dance flourished, the court and the temple raised a large number of dancers and musicians, and the status of the dancers, such as the goddess of honor, and now in Cambodia's world-famous Angkor Wat can still be seen in a very large number of goddess of Apsara dance reliefs, these statues of the physical elegance of the body, beautiful and moving, lifelike.

Cambodian court dance is derived from the court dance of India, and in many Indian myths, there are legends of nymphs who danced exclusively for the gods and goddesses. Apsara is derived from Indian mythology. Apsara is the centerpiece of Cambodian court dance, a traditional Khmer dance with upbeat music and beautiful dancing. The history of the Apsara dance dates back to the 1st century. At Angkor, the walls of many temples are carved with dancers wearing golden headdresses and dancing in skirts. It is estimated that in the 12th century, there were about 3,000 Apsara dancers at the Cambodian court, who told stories with silent movements and gestures; they smiled slightly and never spoke. The Cambodian court dance has a whole set of performance gestures, all the dance performers are from a young age through rigorous training, dancers in addition to the need for unique talent and beauty, without exception, all need to have a pair of flexible and elegant hands. The training of Khmer classical dance is the same as ballet training, it requires years of practice and basic training. The way Khmer Classical Dance communicates with the audience is complex and the different positions of the arms and hands can convey different meanings, for example, gestures that indicate laughter or flight, and the different ways in which these gestures are utilized depend on the different types of roles. In addition to hand movements and facial expressions, ornate costumes can also give specific meaning. Khmer classical dance has always been closely associated with the court, performing at traditional royal ceremonies such as coronations, weddings and funerals. The long history of court dance is not only the artistic treasure of Cambodia, but also a bright pearl in the world's culture and art.

The Cambodian royal family has always attached great importance to culture and art. In the 19th century, after King Anton succeeded to the throne, he revived the court dance, which was on the verge of extinction, and reformed it. On the basis of the original sacredness and solemnity, he eliminated the stiff parts and emphasized the softness and delicacy, so that the Cambodian classical dance we see today is more soft and elegant. The later family of Prince Sihanouk also made important contributions to the development of court dance. Prince Sihanouk grew up living in the countryside outside the palace, and he always loved the arts. In his life, he also studied music, dance, saxophone and movies, and he was also an excellent composer and photographer. Sihanouk's mother, Queen Nyariri, and his eldest daughter, Princess Devi, both served as directors of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, and Sihanouk's mother, Sisowath Kothaman Nyariri, was an important figure in the development of Cambodian court dance; in the mid-nineteenth century she supported the development of Khmer art and dance, and in the middle of the twentieth century she not only contributed to the revitalization of the study of traditional Khmer dance and its development, but she also helped to court dances to be promoted and publicized. Prince Sihanouk's eldest daughter, Princess Pahua Devi, had great attainments in classical dance performance, and she often played important roles such as nymphs, queens and princesses in the troupe, and she danced beautifully, and her delicate transmission in gestures and eyes gave people the enjoyment of beauty. Princess David is also the choreographer of the Royal Ballet, and has also been managing the ballet for the royal family for decades. The Princess's mother is the famous ballerina Ganhoe, and the Princess's younger brother, later King Sihamoni, grew up bright and studious, not only learning Cambodian court dance with his sister, but also combining court dance with French ballet. Prince Sihanouk's family not only made efforts in restoring the court dance, but also continued to show this charming art to the world. Cambodia has always maintained friendly relations with China. In 1957, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, Prince Sihanouk brought the Royal Cambodian Ballet Dance Troupe of 73 people to perform in China, and Sihanouk specially asked Princess Pahana Devi, the "Pearl of Cambodia", who was 14 years old at that time, and her younger brother, Prince Kapoun, to perform. In 1960, Prince Sihanouk visited China again with 15 dancers from the Royal Ballet, and again in 1963 with a troupe of 30 dancers, including his daughter, Princess David. Princess David, the troupe performed classics such as "Fairy Dance" and "Joyous Dance of the Fairies" etc. Prince Sihanouk's family made an important contribution to the preservation and development of Cambodian dance art. The Royal Cambodian Ballet has visited many times and performed for the people of the world, and has been warmly welcomed by the people of all countries, showing the world the bright artistic treasures of Cambodia.

The repertoire of traditional court dances that Cambodia has preserved to this day includes "Fairy Dance in the Hundred Gardens", "Blessing Dance", "Fan Dance", "Butterfly Dance", "Sword Dance", etc., and there are also court dances in dance dramas, such as "Ramayana", "Battle between the Black Monkeys and the White Monkeys", "Myths of Borea Kinnaphong", and "Dance of Leimu Aisok and Moni Mekkala". Many of Cambodia's court dances are also derived from dramatic epics, such as the Mahabharata. This is a large narrative poem of ancient India formed in the 4th century A.D., which includes the story of Lord Krishna, Harivanshah, and the classic Hindu story, Bhagadaukita, both of which are known as the source of Hindu mythology.This epic describes not the ordinary internal struggle within the royal family, but the struggle between the two types of rulers who are notably antagonistic to each other in order to keep fighting against the evil forces and condemn the evil forces that have done harm to the people. The epic is about the constant struggle against evil forces, condemning the harm done to the people by the evil forces, and insisting on the war for the righteous forces to the end, and expressing the people's angry feelings of wanting to be unified by a more virtuous monarch rather than a tyrant. This work has spread to Southeast Asia in various forms of art, and has also had an important influence on the development of local literature.

Cambodian court dances were accompanied by brass gongs, xylophones, and silver bells, supplemented by strings and five-tone reed flutes, with the strings being highly popular and the reed flutes being one of the most important pieces of music in the court dances. The intelligent Cambodian people use different music to express their emotions and thoughts, and these music will be used in different festivals, such as the music with cheerful and lively rhythm is suitable for joyful festivals, while the music with calm and sad rhythm is suitable for painful scenes.