The Angkor Dance Troupe, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, is a unique organization that provides an essential service to the community. The Troupe is the only nonprofit cultural group in Lowell, MA, whose sole mission is to preserve the traditions of Cambodian performing arts. The Angkor Dance Troupe develops and teaches Cambodian dance, promotes an understanding and appreciation of Cambodian culture, and provides a positive social and educational outlet for Cambodian youth.

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The Drive to Preserve Traditions

Tim and his co-founder
Sanara in 1986.

The Angkor Dance Troupe was formed in 1986, in Lowell, MA, by Mr. Tim Chan Thou, Angkor's Program Director, along with a small group of dancers who learned traditional Cambodian dance in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border. They brought with them to the United States a strong desire to practice and perform Cambodian dance and a passion to teach others.

Dance and its associated rituals and beliefs have become a way for Cambodian people to reconstruct a sense of community and culture, particularly for refugees who have resettled in other countries. Between 1975 and 1979, when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia, more than 90% of the country's artists perished or fled. Today as Cambodia struggles to emerge from decades of war and poverty, the people look to the rebirth and recreation of dance as testimony to the endurance of our culture.

Classical Dance - A Treasured Symbol of Cambodian Culture

Classical or court dance is considered by many to be a universal symbol of Cambodian culture. It is a source of national pride for Cambodians, representing the beauty and spirituality of Cambodian people. The dance form is particularly meaningful for postwar Cambodians as they work to reclaim and rebuild a treasured heritage. Many first practiced or saw the art form in the refugee camps, it having been previously reserved the eyes of royalty only. For children born and raised in the camps or in other countries, it has become a connection to the past and a way to experience revered ancient traditions.

Folk Dance - A Celebration of Traditional Ways of Life

Folk dances are a way for displaced Cambodians to remember their homeland and to teach their children about the regional, agricultural, and social forces that shape the lives of Cambodia's rural population. From folk dances, young Cambodian-Americans learn about geography and the daily life in Cambodia that they have never experienced.

Carrying on the Tradition: Engaging Our Young People

Children in our classes
learn about the Khmer culture through dance.

The Troupe conducts weekly instruction, as well as rehearsals for upcoming performances. Parents and friends often gather to observe and learn at the four-hour session held on Sundays. The method of teaching is practiced as it has been done traditionally, in Cambodia, by observation, imitation, and hands-on assistance from teachers to achieve the correct postures and movements.

Cambodian tradition prescribes a particular relationship between student and teacher, a relationship that is repeated between children and parents, young people and elders. Students are respectful of teachers and of the knowledge they possess. They appreciate the chance to learn and understand their responsibility for carrying on their culture.

The young people in the Dance Troupe, most of who were born here in the U.S., asked for background on the dances and the history of Cambodia. In the recently-published book Fractured Identities, Cambodia's Children of War, a young Cambodian-American man from Lowell suggests his primary source of information about Southeast Asia has been popular movies:

"I saw Good Morning Vietnam with my uncle two or three times. We don't learn anything about the history of Cambodia in school here. Just Columbus...who discovered America...stuff like that...it just doesn't go in my head."

Artistic Director/Master Teacher Phousita Huy has greatly expanded the Troupe's technical abilities.

In response to the clear need for meaningful educational opportunities, Angkor's Artistic Director/Master Teacher, Phousita Huy, develops and presents workshops on Cambodian culture as part of her ongoing instruction. To encourage attendance and participation by the Cambodian community, these workshops often take place at sites in Lowell's Cambodian-American community. They are publicized via Khmer-language materials and media as well as through traditional forms of promotion.

The Need for Master Teachers

The technical mastery involved in Cambodian dance is considerable. Students must perfect an estimated forty-five hundred basic gestures and movements to perform certain dance pieces. Because of the losses suffered during the Khmer Rouge, the transmission of traditional knowledge is a crucial, yet challenging, process, particularly in communities that have resettled far from their homeland. Dr. Sam-Ang Sam, a master musician and director of the Apsara Ensemble in Arlington, VA, writes:

The responsiveness of the community to the idea of partnering with master dancers is evident in the reaction to a major public event sponsored by the Lowell Cultural Council presented by the Troupe in May 1997. The Troupe hosted dance masters from around the US who joined members of Angkor Dance in an elaborate public performance. After the performance, Cambodians in the audience approached members of the Troupe to express how deeply moved and impressed they were by the Apsara Dance and how grateful they were to be able to experience this type and caliber of traditional Cambodian dance.

The event was enthusiastically received by the community and is still being re-broadcast on Cambodian cable stations around eastern Massachusetts. The Troupe experienced a surge in membership after the performance and, for the first time in its history, had to create a waiting list of young people interested in learning to dance.

Masters of Cambodian Dance - A Way to Build on Past Successes

Soy Soeur, one of the best instructors of the Monkey Dance in the world joined the Troupe for a teaching residency.

Artistic Director/Master Teacher Phousita Huy and the other dance masters who work with the Troupe, have specialties that allow the Troupe to develop dance forms not currently being taught in the U. S. to performance level. For example, the Monkey Dance is a role in the Reamker, Cambodia's version of the epic Indian tale, the Ramayana, from which many dances are derived. One particular dance, called Swva Pol, is performed by young boys. Because of its lively acrobatic style, it is hugely popular at performances. However, the lack of students skilled in the dance precludes its inclusion in many of the Troupe’s performances. Soy Soeur, a professor at the Royal University of Fine Arts, is considered one of the best instructors of the Monkey Dance in the world and joined the Troupe for a teaching residency. As part of his master residency, Mr. Soeur held a series of classes on the Monkey Dance.

Training by Artistic Director/Master Teacher Phousita Huy has greatly expanded the Troupe's technical abilities, as well as the dancers' understanding of the spiritual and ritual functions of dance in Cambodian culture. The power of the dance is in its cultural connection and the meaning behind the movement reveal fundamental aspects of the art form that are not always comprehensively taught here in the U.S. Through her years of experience at the Royal University of Fine Arts, Ms. Huy developed high standards of training and performance, as well as extensive knowledge of repertory, dance history, and cultural context.

• Master teachers from RUFA Mr. Proeung Chhieng and Mrs. Soth Somaly conducted a summer residency program designed to increase the skills and repertoire of our dancers at all levels.

• Angkor joined FirstWorks of Providence and the Silk Road ensemble, presenting workshops on dance and costuming in 5 schools throughout Rhode Island.
• Instituted Angkor Ballroom, a program designed to integrate Cambodian dance with ballroom dancing. Three couples performed the unique dances at the April fundraising event.
• Presented a series of Cambodian cooking classes that included shopping for typical ingredients for the delicious meals.

• With a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in cooperation with the Lowell Public Schools, Angkor presented dance and costuming workshops to more than 2,000 middle school students.
• The funding also allowed Angkor to provide a five-day residency in Cambodian history and dance at the Fine Arts Academy at Lowell High School.
• Presented workshops to parents and friends on Cambodian cloth and dance costuming.

• Angkor participated in the wildly successful Cambodian rock opera Where Elephants Weep in its initial performances in Lowell before traveling to its world premiere in Phnom Penh.
• Three dancers traveled to Colorado to perform at the annual Cambodian Culture Camp, sponsored by Families with Cambodian Children.
• The Troupe performed at the annual conference of the National Leadership Council of the National Park Service in Williamsburg, Virginia

• The Troupe performed for a large multi-ethnic audience at a Cambodian New Year celebration at the Sheraton in Lowell. Because of the special expertise and teaching of Artistic Director/Master Teacher Phousita Huy, the Troupe was able, for the first time, to present a performance of the Apsara Dance. The Apsara is a revered classical dance steeped in spiritual tradition and based on the sculptures that adorn the walls of Angkor Wat.
• For several years, The Angkor Dance Troupe was selected for inclusion on the New England States Touring Roster, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts to help build support for New England’s best performing artists.
• The Troupe was selected for participation in NEFA's Ford Foundation-funded Newcomers Project on the basis of its artistic excellence and its potential for acting as a key Cambodian arts organization among the network of Cambodian communities throughout the region. (1992)
• Coming up Taller Award (1999) presented by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The Troupe performed at the White House for President Clinton and the Committee.
• Tim Chan Thou, founder and Program Director, received Individual Achievement Commonwealth Award (2005), given by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for overall excellence in the body of work.
• Featured in the award-winning documentary Monkey Dance by Julie Mallozzi in 2006, members of the Troupe talked about their membership in the Troupe and were filmed on a trip to Cambodia and the Royal University of Fine Arts.
• Participated in an historic event: collaborating with Massachusetts-based Nataraj Performing Arts of India; Washington, DC-based Somapa Thai Dance Company, and four Cambodian dance masters visiting from across the U.S., the dance troupe gave a stunning performance of excerpts from the Ramayana (Reamker). (2008)
• The Dance Troupe was featured in the New York Social Diary after performing in East Hampton at the Long House Reserve annual Summer Gala. (2009)