The Serpent's Tail, A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance

While referring to studies from Western scholars such as Paul Cravath, Terry Miller or Trudy Jacobson, the author revisits the history of Khmer classical dance“as a practitioner belonging to a lineage of artists more than 1,000 yearsold.” He also goes back to the work of Hang Thun Hak, one of Cambodia’s pre-eminent artists and a prime minister before the Khmer Rouge, ​“who has stated that the Preah Thaong melody is the oldest one in all of Khmer dance.”

In order to show that robam kbach boran (the dance of ancient gestures) is ​“an art form developed as a prayer in movement for rain and fertility, one that symbolizes the highest in Khmer notions of beauty and identity,” the author explores numerous Tantric, animistic and ritualistic traditions at the core of the Khmer repertoire.

Although previous historic researches have focused on the reign of King Sisowath I and on the contribution of Queen Kossamak, Prumsodun Ok emphasizes the role of King Ang Duong in the development of the Khmer classical dance as we know it nowadays. 

An interesting appendix explores the complex relations betweeen Thai and Khmer dance forms.