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By
: Prak Chan Thul, Picture by : Bobby Viceral.
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Cambodia has many
festivals, and many different traditional dances that
are traditionally played or performed on these holidays.
Robam Ramvong and Ramkbach are two special dances that
people throughout the country enjoy performing. These
traditional Khmer routines are easy to learn and remember:
almost every Cambodian knows how to perform them.
Because Cambodia has gone through many years of civil
war, there are very few historical documents about the
nation's culture available to researchers. So to learn
more of the history of the Ramvong and Ramkbach dances,
we must turn to the memories of everyday people.
The Ramvong dance has been performed in Cambodia for as
long as anyone can remember. Both Khmers and other ethnic
groups like Phnong, Krung, Tompuon and Prou people have
performed this circular dance style since ancient times.
People living in the Northeastern highlands and other
mountainous areas would entertain themselves during long,
dark evenings by dancing around a fire. The culture of
dancing around a fire is age-old, and continues in some
areas today.
In the days before Brahmanism or Buddhism had been introduced
to |
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Almost every Cambodian knows the Ramvong
dance, a favourite during festivals and at any function
or celebration in Cambodia.
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Cambodia, Khmer
people would hold spirit rituals, during which a 'Memot,'
or witch, would dance in a circle around a small cottage,
which was surrounded by a sacred boundary string.
Animist ethnic groups like the Phnong, Krung and Tompuon
people often sacrificed buffaloes to the forest demons
they believe in. They also chose the Ramvong dance as
their entertainment during these rituals.
"The origins of this dance is the people and people
dance around a table these days," said Ngoun Sam
Art, director of traditional |
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Students working on the Ram
Kbach dance steps.
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dance at
the Royal University of Culture and Fine Arts. Many
of Cambodia's ethnic minorities still maintain the
tradition of Ramvong Srokhanteum, or the new village
dance. This dance is traditionally performed when
a community is due to change its location. Before
the move, the village chief and tribal elders perform
rituals to chose a new location that is safe, fertile
and with a plentiful water supply. Villagers perform
the Ramvong dance during the rituals to make the
ceremony more entertaining.
All this evidence suggests that Ramvong and RamKbach
have been around a very long time, which explains
why the dance styles have become closely tied to
the Cambodian national tradition.
The Ramvong dance also existed in neighboring countries
like Thailand and Laos, and so, over time, |
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Students demonstrating hand
movements of the RamKbach.
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Students working on the Ramvong
dance steps. The Ramvong is faster in rhythm and
more lively compared to the Ram Kbach.
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new styles and
influences would flow in and out Cambodia. This meant
styles of Ramvong dancing became more varied, especially
among communities close to the border.
According to documents from the early twentieth century,
the Ramvong dance style developed considerably during
the period when the Khmer Issarak (Free Khmer Movement)
fought for independence from the French. In some mountainous
areas, the fighters left behind songs of independence
to accompany Ramvong dances.
How to dance:
In the Ramvong dance, people move continuously round in
a circle - it's a simple step that's entertaining and
relaxing after a hard day's work in the rice field. Not
only Khmer people can dance in the Ramvong style: foreigners
can also dance
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Students demonstrating hand movements
of the Ramvong.
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| because the movements
are very easy to need to listen to beat of the drum, which
often will sound like "Pak ping pak," or "Tak
ting tak," to work out how fast you need to move.
One couple needs to step forward, the woman in the front.
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If you feel like
a change, you can swap partners during the performance.
You need to fold your palms, with your fingers at right
angles to your wrists, and bring your hands up from behind
you in front of your face, straightening and bending your
fingers in time to the music as you go. Move your hands
in opposition directions - one to the left and one to
the right.
Move your legs in time to the rhythm too, and in the opposite
direction to your partner. Dance around an object like
table, keeping in time with the beat of the drum.
The Ram Kbach dance is similar to Ramvong; palms must
be folded from below and brought up as high as your eyebrow
when unfolded. Both hands and legs must be moved in opposition
directions, like in the Ramvong dance. People perform
the Ram Kbach dance in a circle too - it's just like Ramkbach,
but the movements are slower and more gentle.
Besides Ramvong and Ram Kbach, the Lamliev and Saravan
dance styles are also popular with Khmer people. At festival
time, people might perform all these dance style together.
The Saravan dance is thought to originate from Laos, as
Saravan is the name of a province in Laos near the Cambodian
border. The Lamliev dance style, which is also believed
to have been originated from Laos, is quicker in rhythm
than other Cambodian styles.
Although the Saravan and Lamliev dances are not traditionally
Cambodian, Khmer people still love performing them, especially
at the Khmer New Year festival in April and at wedding
ceremonies.
This is probably because many Khmer people believe that
all these dance styles help create friendship and happiness
among society. |
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B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
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