Royal Ballet of Cambodia
- This page is about the performing troupe. For the dance tradition, see Cambodian classical dance.
| Royal Ballet of Cambodia | |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | National Dance Company of Cambodia; Ballet royal du Cambodge |
| Type | Arts and culture |
| Focus areas | Cambodian classical dance; state ceremonies and visits; international touring |
| Subjects | Dance & Theatre; History & Remembrance |
| City | Phnom Penh |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Operating status | active |
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia is the troupe that performs Cambodian classical dance for the Cambodian state, at official occasions in Phnom Penh and on tours abroad. The same name is used for the dance tradition itself, and can also refer to the National Dance Company of Cambodia. Its dancers are drawn from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and its Department of Performing Arts, the Secondary School of Fine Arts and the Royal University of Fine Arts. (Wikipedia, Royal Ballet of Cambodia; People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025); Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025))
History
The royal dance was long under the patronage of the king and the royal family. In 1958, when China and Cambodia established diplomatic relations, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia visited China for the first time, at the invitation of Premier Zhou Enlai. Peou Khatna, who later directed the Khmer Classical Dance Troupe in exile, appeared in the United States as part of the Royal Ballet in 1971. (Time Out Hong Kong, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi on the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2017); People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025); National Endowment for the Arts, Peou Khatna)
After the Khmer Rouge period, the Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture rebuilt a professional dance and theatre company from its reformation in 1980, growing it to some 300 members who toured across Cambodia and beyond. Norodom Buppha Devi was the driving force behind reviving the Royal Ballet and taking it around the world. (Real World Records, Musicians of the National Dance Company of Cambodia; Time Out Hong Kong, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi on the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2017); Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025))
After her death in 2019, the troupe did not perform in France again until 2025. The Royal Ballet has also been taken to ASEAN countries and China to promote Khmer culture. (Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025))
Performances and tours
Tours by the troupe include the following. For the 1990 and 2001 United States tours by the university's dance company, see Royal University of Fine Arts. (Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025))
- 1958: a first visit to China, at the invitation of Premier Zhou Enlai (People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025))
- 1971: performances in the United States, with Peou Khatna among the dancers (National Endowment for the Arts, Peou Khatna)
- 1990: a tour of the United Kingdom by the Cambodian National Dance Company, which stemmed from Oxfam UK's Kampuchea Campaign (Swansea University, Dancers as Diplomats? The 1990 Cambodian National Dance Company tour to the UK)
- 2017: two nights, August 25 and 26, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with 14 dancers, five musicians and three singers (Time Out Hong Kong, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi on the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2017))
- 2025: Le Ballet royal du Cambodge in France, with 22 artists at the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris on March 8 and 9, the Opera National de Bordeaux on March 11 and the Arsenal de Metz on March 13; the program included the Apsara dance and Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso (Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025); Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet captivates audiences in Paris (2025))
- 2025: a 37-member troupe at the seventh China Xinjiang International Folk Dance Festival in Urumqi, performing on July 28 and 29 (People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025))
Training and institutions
The Royal University of Fine Arts and the Department of Arts often share personnel and take part in joint projects and tours. Some dancers teach at the Royal University of Fine Arts and the Secondary School of Fine Arts, and the Ministry's Department of Performing Arts engages dancers to perform on state visits. (Asia Society, Dance: the Spirit of Cambodia program notes (2001); Wikipedia, Royal Ballet of Cambodia)
People
People the sources name in connection with the troupe: (Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025); Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet captivates audiences in Paris (2025); People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025))
- Norodom Buppha Devi, who revived the Royal Ballet after the Khmer Rouge period (Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025); Time Out Hong Kong, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi on the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2017))
- Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, who led the 2025 France tour, accompanied by Princess Norodom Arunrasmy and Mao Chamnan, president of the Khmer Artists Association (Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet captivates audiences in Paris (2025))
- Lundi Sannara, secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, who led the 2025 Xinjiang troupe (People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025))
- Proeung Chhieng, artistic director of the 2001 United States tour by the Royal University of Fine Arts (Asia Society, Dance: the Spirit of Cambodia program notes (2001))
- Hun Pen, coordinator of the Royal Ballet Project for the Ministry and UNESCO from 2006 and later Deputy Director of the Department of Performing Arts (Chulalongkorn University, Hun Pen, The Revival of Cambodian Classical Dance after 1979 (2008); Center for Khmer Studies, Archive and documentation of Cambodian dance panel)
See also
- Cambodian classical dance
- Norodom Buppha Devi
- Khmer Classical Dance Troupe
- Amrita Performing Arts
- Royal University of Fine Arts
- All organizations
Sources
- Wikipedia, Royal Ballet of Cambodia
- People's Daily and Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet to perform at folk dance festival in Xinjiang (2025)
- Cambodianess, Royal dance returns to France (2025)
- Time Out Hong Kong, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi on the Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2017)
- National Endowment for the Arts, Peou Khatna
- Real World Records, Musicians of the National Dance Company of Cambodia
- Asia Society, Dance: the Spirit of Cambodia program notes (2001)
- Swansea University, Dancers as Diplomats? The 1990 Cambodian National Dance Company tour to the UK
- Japan Foundation Asia Center, Asia Hundreds: Kang Rithisal (2020)
- Xinhua, Cambodia's Royal Ballet captivates audiences in Paris (2025)
- Chulalongkorn University, Hun Pen, The Revival of Cambodian Classical Dance after 1979 (2008)
- Center for Khmer Studies, Archive and documentation of Cambodian dance panel