Urban Khmer Ballet Hosts Neakru Sophiline Cheam Shapiro in Lowell

RSVP for all workshops: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyyFT0IoFjv-PNA0alaBo_AywE9bB3xSgygpK6izm9CnEUdw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0zerx_mI0DBSCLy0wJMghewRRuXs4rp0PVhyl3VMNBuxMbsVPNTVeVVww

Urban Khmer Ballet is a new initiative created by Angkor Dance Troupe Alumni, Chummeng Soun and Peter Veth. The mission primarily focuses on renegotiating a place for the diaspora in Cambodian performance art and dance.

The renegotiation of a place for diaspora in Cambodian dance poses the question – what might the future hold for Cambodia’s performing arts and culture in the diaspora?

In Lowell, MA, Cambodian performance arts is connected to the notion of protecting and safeguarding as a form of cultural preservation. Master teachers, local organizations, and local dance troupes within the perimeter of Lowell are laser-focused on cultural preservation, posing the question for many Cambodian performance artists today: What might the future hold? Finding themselves treading the balancing act between staying true to cultural heritage and their creative interpretation of bodily expression.

Embarking on this journey with Urban Khmer Ballet is Neakru Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, a choreographer known for her contemporary approach to choreography and dances; combining classical Cambodian gestures and body movements to express contemporary ideas. To answer this question, we invited Neakru to have a dialogue that is in response to her experiences as an artist that challenges the norms of Cambodian tradition to share with the next generation of cultural custodians in Lowell. Neakru Sophiline Cheam Shapiro has recently made headlines when she was kicked out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY for praying to the statues of her Ancestral Gods.

To celebrate Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month, Urban Khmer Ballet is proud to announce that they will be hosting a series of celebrations that include a film screening, dialogue, dance demonstration, writing, dance performance, and writing workshops that encompasses the question regarding: what might the future hold for Cambodia’s performing arts and culture in the diaspora? The goal of this 5-day program is to experience, exercise, and express the ideas. Technical workshops and dialogue are tools to help the article respond to their ongoing questions.

Programming is currently free to the public:

May 16th: Meet and greet from 5:00pm-7:00pm May 17th: Season of Migration 6:30pm-9:00pm May 18th: Dance Rehearsal 5:00pm-7:00pm

All programs will take place at:

Richard K. and Nancy L. Donahue Family Academic Arts Center

240 Central St. Lowell, MA 01852

The following Zoom Link is available for guests who wish to attend virutally:

https://middlesex-mass-edu.zoom.us/j/94172385841

RSVP for all workshops:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyyFT0IoFjv-PNA0alaBo_AywE9bB3xSgygpK6izm9CnEUdw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0zerx_mI0DBSCLy0wJMghewRRuXs4rp0PVhyl3VMNBuxMbsVPNTVeVVww

This program is supported by Urban Khmer Ballet, Angkor Dance Troupe (ADT), Cambodian American Literary Arts Association (CALAA). Presented through the support of the Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation Program (CAST) at Brandeis University and Fulbright-Hays 2023 to Cambodia.

Angkor Dance Troupe Seeks Applications for New Board Members

Recruiting New Board Members 2023.pdf

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BOD Recruitment Flyer 2023.pdf

Download PDF • 853KB

LOWELL, MA – Have you been looking for ways to give back to the community? Do you want to use your skills in strategic thinking, financial forecasting, organizational behavior, or project management to benefit youth and community arts in the greater Lowell region?

Angkor Dance Troupe seeks talented, energetic people to serve on its Board of Directors. For over 35 years, our volunteer Board has been the strategic heart of the organization, ensuring its continuing institutional and fiscal health.

The mission of Angkor Dance Troupe is to connect communities through the preservation, education, and innovation of Cambodian performing arts. Our vision is for Lowell, Massachusetts, to be a center for Cambodian performing arts, culture, and history, with the Angkor Dance Troupe at its core. Through its classes and the high-quality performances by its dancers, ADT maintains the integrity of Cambodian performing arts and traditions while adapting to societal changes, and developing the next generation of dancers, teachers, mentors, and leaders.

Angkor Dance Troupe adopted a new strategic plan in 2021, and participates in Barr Foundation’s Powering Cultural Futures, a six-year initiative to strengthen the BIPOC arts infrastructure in Massachusetts. We are looking for community leaders to help the organization thrive in these and other new exciting endeavors.

Our Board members are:

• Passionate about and dedicated to Angkor Dance Troupe’s mission, goals, and values

• Community leaders and philanthropists eager to engage their peers

• Experts and professionals with a wide range of skills

• Able to represent the organization to the community, including but not limited to donors, civic leaders, educators, media, and the business community

• Alumni of Angkor Dance Troupe’s dance and other classes

Board Term: Terms are for three years with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Annual Commitment:

• Attend 6 Board meetings per year

• Serve on one committee that most effectively uses skills/expertise: Board Development, Finance, Fundraising, Operations

• Serve as an ambassador and advocate for Angkor Dance Troupe among your colleagues and peers and the wider community

• Make a personal, charitable contribution to Angkor Dance Troupe, to the best of their ability

If you are interested in joining our Board, please submit a letter of interest and resume to Board President Sue Kim at sue@angkordance.org.

Khmer New Year at the Portland Public Library Hosted by Khmer Maine

Khmer Maine hosted a special performance by Angkor Dance Troupe featuring traditional classical Cambodian dance at the Portland Public Library. People and families from all backgrounds were welcome to learn about Cambodian culture and arts through movement and the history of each dance.

Khmer Maine is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to improve the quality of life and the social and economic well-being of Cambodian people in Maine through cultural exchange, community building and civic engagement.

This event was part of a series to celebrate Khmer New Year 2023 and Khmer culture during the month of April.

Photos courtesy of Khanmade Media, Portland Public Library, Khmer Maine, and Angkor Dance Troupe

This event was proudly sponsored by

Premier Sponsors: Hannaford and Mascoma Bank

Corporate & Nonprofit Sponsors: Coffee By Design, Bernstein Shur, Waypoint Intercultural, MaineHealth, Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Luke's Lobster, and Jayavarman Rising