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: Ly Vanna, Apsara Pictures Courtesy of Societe Concessionaire
De L'Aeroport. |
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Models in Apsara outfit struggling
to imitate their more static stone counterparts.
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Apsara in French, Theib
Apsar (from the Sanskrit) or even Achara
in Pali, they all refer to the beautiful
girl with nice skin: the girl from paradise,
the celestial dancer.
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Through
Brahmanism, we learn of their role during
the famous Churning of the Sea of Milk episode.
The Apsaras are the women who appeared when
92 Gods (deva) and the 88 Devils (asura) agreed
to a tug-of-war to stir Sakmuth Teukdoh (the
Sea of Milk) in order to create the elixir
of life and thus gain immortality. They used
the Naga called Vasuki as a line and Phnom
Mandara (Mount Mandara) as a tool for the
churning. This is commemorated in the famous
bas-relief of the South section in the East
gallery at Angkor Wat. The role of the Apsaras
was to sing and dance, to encourage the churning.
The ancient Apsaras live on in sculptures
on the many temple walls in Cambodia and in
the lives of the Khmer people. |
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The sculptures
seem to smile and welcome people, showing their
beauty and the prosperity of the Angkorian era.
The Apsara's trademark: voluptuous curves and innocent
gaze can transport the viewer to this bygone era.
The gestures of the Apsaras come alive through the
carvings on the wall and ensure their legacy is
passed on from one generation to another.
We observe that on stage when the curtain opens,
the Apsara dancers would stand in the same stance
as the Apsara sculptures. Then they dance and at
the end of which, the dancers wrap in the same stance
as the Apsara sculptures once again.
Her Excellency, Menh Kossony, Deputy Director General
of Technical, Ministry of Culture and Fine Art explains
that:
"The Apsara imagery comes from the carvings.
This is why they engage in that ‘Apsara stand’
at the start and at the end of the performance to
remind us of ancient times. We see them as not real
but only carvings about which we dream."
The dance is performed either by a single dancer
or in a group of three, five, or seven members (even
numbers are considered unlucky). The main dancer
(star) usually dons a white costume. For a group
of seven, there will be one in white, two in red,
two in blue and two in green.
For a group of five, one in white, two in red, two
in blue and for a group of three, one in white,
two in red. The duration of the dance is not as
strictly governed as would the costume but a performance
usually lasts for at least five minutes. The play
always describe nature or depicts
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Bas-relief of the Apsara
at the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.
Everything about the Apsara is quintessentially
Khmer: the smile, the costume, gestures
as well as the stylized ritual.
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some scenes from
the ancient story. All dancers are girls, who are of the
same age and same physical proportions. "In the past,
the Apsara dance was an unique form of dancing reserved
only for special events and ordinary people were rarely
able to watch it, but now everyone can watch the Apsara
dancing live on stage or through television," Her
Excellency Menh Kossony said.
Historically, in 1959-1960 Princess Kannitha, King Norodom
Sihanouk's aunty and Director of Sothearos School, designed
and made a paper headpiece of the Apsara for Prince Norodom
Socheatvathana, a son of King Norodom Sihanouk. It was
for wearing for dances during the holidays at the Sothearos
School. The king was very interested in the dance, so
he told his mother, queen Kosamaknaryrath - sirivathana,
who was in charge of royal dance. |
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Then the
queen ordered Mr. Hang Tun Hak, Rector of the Royal
University of Fine Art (1959) to make a silver headpiece
and other paraphernalia for Princess Bopha Thevy
to wear and perform in the movie called, Baksei
Than Sourka ( The bird in the paradise). It was
filmed at the Angkor Wat, with ballads and notation
derived from Enav Bosba (a Muslim story) and Preah
Sakmuth & Neag Buth Sokmaly (a Khmer story).
Ms. Dork Pay and Ms. Chharvry, the dance instructors
created the distinctive Apsara dance gestures. Since
then the Apsara dance continues to appear in the
kingdom in the new creation, a very beautiful and
famous one at that.
Every Khmer dance movement and gesture echoes in
some way--nature through their emotion to the scenery.
For instance, the gesture of the dancers’ hands
indicates planting, growing, flowering, ripening,
falling and growing again. Totally, there are 4,500
gestures in the Khmer dance, from the hands, legs,
body to the head. This stands as a reminder of the
highly subtle and stylized art form that has been
developed within Cambodia.
As a result of the Khmer love for nature, the creation
of these kinds of arts satisfies their emotions.
Essentially provides a way of expressing their interconnectedness
with their environment.
Apsara dance is known as the ‘Spirit of Khmer’
dance, which was created in the late 1950s and earned
fame |
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The effortless slow pace of
the meticulous hand movements is not something
to be learnt quickly.
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through
its beauty, meaning and style.
"So Apsara dancing has to be accorded that
special place and performed only on appropriate
occasion." Said H.E Pich Keo, Deputy Director
General of Technical, Ministry of Culture and Fine
Art. It is believed that the Apsara is a perfect
and beautiful girl. The perfect girl always smiles
without showing the teeth. Despite the belief, there
are yet some Apsara sculptures that show the Apsara
exposing her teeth. The concept of the perfect women
still stands as the ideal.
"Smiling whilst showing or hiding the teeth
identifies a girl's character during the Ankorean
era. A smile showing the teeth exposes the simple
woman. Hiding the teeth identifies the perfect woman,"
said Mr. Pok Chhun Nath, an instructor at the Ministry
of Culture and Fine Art, who teaches sculpture.
There is yet another concept surrounding the different
characteristics of the Apsara sculptures. "The
characters are dependent on the mood of the sculptors.
If they are happy they sculpt the open smiling face
and if their feeling is normal, they sculpt the
little smile." said H.E Hang Soth, a professor
and Director General of the General Department of
Technical Culture, Ministry of |
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Culture and Fine
Art.
It is not merely about looks. There is strenuous training
and many complicated gestures and routines to be memorized.
The effortless slow pace of the meticulous hand movements
is not something to be learnt quickly.
Ms. Vong Phemean, traditional dance trainer at the Apsara
Arts Association emphasizes this aspect: "The training
takes five year and involves rigorous practice. A whole
year is merely to improve how supple the dancer is, all
the movements must be controlled."
In total the training lasts five years: one for the improvement
on the elasticity of the dancer. Another year is training
on the dancing style with huge emphasis on hand movements.
The remaining three years involve intense practice.
"Perfection is difficult but after five years of
training and practice we are very much nearer" said
Vong Phemean.
Everything about the Apsara is quintessentially Khmer:
the smile, the costume and the stylized ritual. The notion
of representing the celestial dancers means flawless looks
combined with arduous training. Everything must be synchronized
from the movements of the dance to the colour of each
of the dancers skin.
An enduring symbol that still enchants people through
the centuries and inspires some to attempt to replicate
their perfection. The celestial dancers represent an undeniable
window into the past- proving to be much, much more than
a simple dance routine. Their skill and beauty outshines
their more static stone counterparts - who they themselves
strive to imitate. |
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