Belle

Who inspired you to become a dancer? My mum has been a source of inspiration since I was a young child. She showed me how to improve each of my performances. The efforts, patience, recognition and encouragement from my mother and the people around me are the motivations for my success. Do you enjoy your daily work? Yes, sure. People enjoy watching my performances and I feel I can entertain everyone. Who do you perform for? I have performed extensively with the Sovanna Phum Khmer Arts Association and at ceremonies organised by NGOs or private companies. They hire me for the night, although I wont tell you for how much! Is it easy to make a decent living from dancing? Not really. You wont get rich from dancing in Cambodia. It bears little comparison to the amounts of money a businessman can earn. I dance because it is exciting not for the money. Almost all the money I do make is spent on costumes, make-up and food for our team. Dancing only provides enough money to keep one person. Which countries have you performed in? I have toured in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Poland. I have also participated in many workshops with international artists from the World Dance AllianceAsia Pacific, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Morocco and the US. What have been your greatest achievements? In 2006, I performed in a national ceremony presided over by His Majesty the King Sihamoni. Last year, I directed Mchas Kongkea at the Chenla theatre, with the help of the French Cultural Centre (CCF).

dancer
What problems do you encounter during performances? The dancers sometimes lose concentration and make movements at the wrong time. Though, this is something that will change with practice and time. Also, sometimes the electricity gets cut off or the CD gets stuck during the dance. What advice would you give aspiring dancers? They need to know the value of their own culture rather than foreign ones. Contemporary dance that mixes western and local styles may amuse the audience, but we must first learn the style of our ancestors.

Chumvan Sodhachivy (Belle) was born in 1985 in Phnom Penh. She began training in Cambodian classical dance as a nine-year-old and graduated from the National School of Arts in 2003, and from the Royal University of Fine Arts in 2007. Belle is the youngest of 11 brothers and sisters, all of whom were killed by the Khmer Rouge. She lives with her mother, Nou Sandap, 67, who is a familiar figure in dramas and educational spots on local TV channels. Belle specialises in the Narong (male) role, but is also well versed in the Neang (female) role, Cambodian folk dance and shadow puppetry. She is a member of the World Dance Alliance of Cambodia, where she learns a variety of new disciplines such as puppetry, Indian, Arabic and Balinese dance, body expression, contemporary dance and choreography

Photos: Ryan Plummer for SE GLOBE

What is the current state of classical dancing in Cambodia? Things are changing; I see new enthusiasm among the young and a rising number of trainee dancers. Cambodian dance has featured in several national and international events, which represents a growing interest. The government should establish more training centres for the next generation of artists and should pay a decent salary, say $100 a month, for trainers.

What are your plans for the future? Once I have enough money, I plan to establish a dance school to train as many young dancers as I can. I want to explain to them how important their sense of identity is and dancing is one way of getting in touch with your cultural roots. In the near future, I will run a series of workshops, exhibitions and other cultural events at the CCF.
Yos Katank

March 2009 89