Jump to content

Charya Burt Cambodian Dance

From KhmerConnection
Charya Burt Cambodian Dance
Alternative namesCharya Burt Cambodian Dance Company
TypeArts and culture
Focus areasCambodian classical dance; new choreography rooted in the classical repertory; dance instruction; workshops and residencies; lecture-demonstrations
SubjectsDance & Theatre; Migration & Diaspora; History & Remembrance
State / provinceCalifornia
CountryUnited States
Founded1993
WebsiteWebsite
Impact geographySan Francisco Bay Area and California, with residencies and tours elsewhere in the United States and in Cambodia
FacebookFacebook
InstagramInstagram
YouTubeYouTube
Operating statusactive

Charya Burt Cambodian Dance is a Cambodian classical dance company based in the San Francisco North Bay, California. Its founding artistic director is Charya Burt, a master dancer, choreographer, vocalist and teacher of classical Cambodian dance. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, official site; Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Biography)

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts dates the company to 1993, when Burt immigrated to Northern California, and describes its work as formal instruction, workshops, public performances and the creation of new works. (Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Company profile)

The company's mission is to preserve and renew the art form, raise the professionalism of community dance groups and create new works firmly rooted in tradition. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Biography)

Lineage and training

Burt began training in 1982 at the School of Dance of the University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, under dance masters who had survived the Khmer Rouge period. She is one of a small number of dancers to have studied under the master Soth Sam On (spelled Soth Som Onn by ACTA), which gives her classical lineage by direct training. (Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Charya Cheam Burt profile; The Star and Phnom Penh Post, Rebirth of Apsara returns home (2025))

She received a teaching certificate in 1990 and taught on the dance faculty of the Royal University of Fine Arts before emigrating to the United States in 1993. As a member of Cambodia's Royal Dance Troupe she toured nationally and internationally, and in 1991 she was among the dozen dancers chosen to accompany the Cambodian prince on his first overseas mission after the royal family's return from exile. (Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Charya Cheam Burt profile; Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Biography)

Burt names former minister of culture Chheng Phon as the strongest inspiration for her mission to help traditional Cambodian arts flourish. She performed for many years across the United States with choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Biography; Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Classical Repertory)

Repertory and works

With over 30 years of professional experience, Burt has performed and documented dances of the classical repertory, including Robam Apsara, Robam Chun Por, Robam Tep Monorom, Robam Buong Suong Tayay, Robam Buong Suong Pream, Robam Monosenchetna, Robam Chhouy Chhay, Robam Chhouy Chhay Chhmar and the Reamker episode of Hanuman and Sovann Maccha. See Cambodian classical dance. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Classical Repertory)

Original works

Programs and teaching

Burt has trained thousands of dance students in California, with residencies at Cambodian cultural programs in Stockton, San Jose, Long Beach and Chicago. Development residencies for The Rebirth of Apsara took place in Oakland, Long Beach, Stockton, Chicago and Lowell, Massachusetts, and each touring city integrated local Cambodian community dancers. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, official site; Dancers' Group, The Rebirth of Apsara (2026); The Star and Phnom Penh Post, Rebirth of Apsara returns home (2025))

A 2021 ACTA Living Cultures grant supported the Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Digital Library, with classical dances, Burt's new works and instructional videos on classical dance and costuming, plus age and ability curricula for Cambodian dance communities in California. In 2022 Burt became a Dance/USA archiving fellow to continue the library. (Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Company profile; Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Biography)

As an ACTA master artist, Burt has mentored apprentices: (Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Charya Cheam Burt profile)

In 2008 an ACTA grant supported a year-round residency by Burt with the apprentice dancers of Khmer Arts Academy. (Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Khmer Arts Academy profile)

Performances and recognition

Burt has performed at the Getty Museum, the Kennedy Center and the San Francisco Opera House, and many times at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Her works have been presented by Jacob's Pillow, World Arts West, CounterPULSE, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, Biography)

Coverage includes KQED Arts and PBS NewsHour (2015), Dance/USA (2020), the Phnom Penh Post (2025) and Dancers' Group (2026). (PBS NewsHour and KQED, the 1,000-year-old dance tradition (2015); Dance/USA, Community Builders (2020); The Star and Phnom Penh Post, Rebirth of Apsara returns home (2025); Dancers' Group, The Rebirth of Apsara (2026))

People

Visiting and participation

The company presents performances, workshops at schools and colleges, and lecture presentations designed for schools and community spaces. Its website hosts a video gallery and the Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Digital Library. (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance, official site)

See also

Sources

Retrieved from "https://khmerconnection.com/w/index.php?title=Charya_Burt_Cambodian_Dance&oldid=5404"