This work exposes the legacies of classical Cambodian dance through a contemporary lens. The solo is propelled by virtuosic physical precision, theatrical gesture, and spoken word. The piece explores the relationships between three women (the choreographer, her mother, and her dance master) to create a dialogue on the tension between individualism and conformity in politically oppressive societies. Chankethya’s work puts the medium of Cambodian dance in direct conversation with its audience as she poses questions about responsibility, lineage, and the future.

The work was premièred at Abrons Arts Center, New York in April 2013 and it will be presented at Zurich Dance Festival in 2014.

Performances

Abrons Arts Center, New York in April 2013 as part of Season of Cambodia, New York

Chey Chankethya (Choreographer and Dancer) started her classical dance training at five. Upon completion of school, she pursued her studies at the Royal University of Fine Arts in the Faculty of Choreographic Arts and obtained her BA in 2005 - she also holds a BA degree in English from the Royal University of Phnom Penh. As one of Cambodia’s top classical dancers she has had opportunities to perform nationally and internationally with the Cambodian ballet Royal Troupe. From 2001-2005 she was a performing artist in the Southeast Asia dance production Realizing Rama that toured Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea and India. Her choreographic works, both classical and contemporary, include Dilemma (2002), Falling in Love (2003), Golden Deer (2004), Preah Khan Reach (2005) and Water and Thunder (2006). In 2006 she was awarded a Choreography Arts Management Fellowship to support a three-month residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which led to the creation of Same and Different. In 2007, Kethya participated in the Choreographer and Composer Workshop, a four-week training program in Surabaya, as part of the Indonesia Dance Festival. In 2009 she received an Asian Cultural Council grant to participate in American Dance Festival. Kethya teaches classical dance at the Secondary School of Fine Arts and was the leader of Trey Visay (Compass), a dance ensemble consisting of nine young Cambodian dancers that aims to explore and create their own contemporary dance vocabulary. She has been the Artistic Director of Amrita Performing Arts since August 2014.

The work was premiered at the Abrons Art Centre as part of the Season of Cambodia festival in New York April 2013 and in the Singapore International Festival of the Arts in September 2015. It will be presented Theatre le Tarmac in February 2016 in Paris, France.

Length of performance: 45 minutes without intermission.

Watch a trailer here: http://bit.ly/MyMotherandI

Trailer courtesy of Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

For more information about this piece please contact Rithisal Kang, Executive Director, at krithisal@amritaperformingarts.org