Silenced Has Taken Shape

My first work-in-progress felt a bit rushed because there were so many new ideas I was experimenting with. After a while things came together and I was able to see how I could I make the piece into what I wanted – a compelling story bringing together many elements, thematically, choreographically, musically, and visually. I have tried to use Classical Cambodian Dance vocabulary in a new context creating a style that is more expressive with movements I hope reflect a confluence of tradition and innovation. The first part of the piece consists of short vignettes I’ve choreographed to a selection of Ros Sereysothea’s songs where I try to tell glimpses of her story through her songs. That process seems to have worked nicely through the video backdrops embedded in each section of the work.

I have also spent a great deal of time learning to sing two of Sereysothea’s songs; This is the Story of My Love and I’m Sixteen. I will sing these songs live to give a sense of immediacy to the depiction of Sereysothea’s life as a singer. I will try to evoke, in the best way I can, her spirit and will try to take the audience back to Cambodia’s Golden Era in the 1960s and 1970s. Again, through video imagery I hope to let the audience into that world – the world of Cambodian pop culture with the “look” of this glorious time.

Here is a sneak preview of Silenced: 

Also check out a web video/article  from KQED: Cambodian’s Dark Past Behind Her, A Dancer Steps into the Light http://shar.es/FucR4