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Sacred Dancers of Angkor in Meak Bochhea celebration

by Anders Jiras & NKFC Cambodia

Within the Angkor Wat sanctum, the Bakan, Sacred Dancers of Angkor perform the New Moon ritual in January 2018.

 

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Authors
Anders Jiras & NKFC Cambodia
Source
NKFC Cambodia
Published
2018

Prayers, chants and three dance rituals were dedicated to Lord Vishnu, King Suryavarman II and all the divinities and deities of Angkor, invoking the spiritual forces to bless the Land and the People. At the top of the central tower, a procession of 1250 candles in reverence of the 1250 disciples who gathered around Buddha to hear his last teachings.

Photos Anders Jiras/NKFC-Sacred Dancers of Angkor.

Watch Sacred Dancers of Angkor performing the ceremonial dance for entering Khmer New Year 2024 (BE 2568).

Tags: dance, rituals, Cambodian Buddhism, Bakan of Angkor

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About the Photographers

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Anders Jiras

Born in Goteborg (Sweden), Anders Jiras was a successful commercial photographer in his hometown when he was invited to cover a South East Asian Dance Festival in Singapore, in the 2000s. After extensively traveling through the region, he decided to focus on Cambodia and settle in the Kingdom of Wonder.
His artistic sensibility and keen approach to the mystical aspect of dancing have granted him access to the Royal Ballet, exclusive ceremonies performed by the Sacred Dancers of Angkor or healing rituals in remote villages. Anders also follows closely the modern dance scene in Cambodia.

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NKFC Cambodia

The Nginn Karet Foundation for Cambodia (NKFC) is a private initiative set since 2001 to empower village people in Cambodia with the knowledge and resources to secure their basic needs through a partnership programme for a sustainable future, and to help younger generations of villagers in accessing and nurturing their cultural heritage.

Since 2007, a Khmer classical dance conservatoire was established in Chhouk Sar commune, in the vicinity of Banteay Srei temple, housing Sacred Dancers of Angkor, the dance company founded and directed by Ravynn Karet-Coxen, under the patronage of HRH Princess Norodom Buppha Devi.  

NKFC Cambodia has held numerous fundraising initiatives in the UK, the US, France and Cambodia in order to support its initiatives in Siem Reap area.