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Happy New Year!

Dancing into Khmer New Year Festivities for the coming of Khmer New Year around our hotels and resorts. Happy Year of the Dragon!

🙏

Cambodia's Angkor Wat is now officially the eighth Wonder of The World One of the top attractions of Siem Reap in Cambodia, Angkor Wat has surpassed Italy's Pompeii to become the eighth Wonder of The World.

The Sacred Dancers of Angkor : NKFC are "recognised as the Kingdom’s first and only spiritual dance troupe, is not only well-known in Siem Reap but also all over Cambodia and has even performed in other countries. Since 2007, they have been taught the discipline in the ancestral Khmer way: meditation, praying and mastering more than 4,500 gestures of the dance."

By Taing Rynith

Sacred Dancers on a thorny path to creating the authentic Apsara - Khmer Times This excerpt is from the 1912 book Danseuses Anciennes et Modernes about the classical dance of Cambodia, written by George Groslier (1887–1945), the creator and first curator of the National Museum of Cambodia and the director of the Service des Arts Cambodgiens from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Today, numerous countries worldwide are celebrating Songkran, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, parts of northeastern India, parts of Viet Nam, and Xishuangbanna, China.

The term “Songkran” appears on inscriptions at our temples. “Songkran” is a Sanskrit word originating in India, meaning a cycle of time throughout the year.

Cambodia eyes enlisting “Songkran in Cambodia” in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List - Khmer Times Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that in the future, Cambodia also has the right to request the inscription of “Songkran in Cambodia” in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

Introducing a new French film about the sacred Cambodian dance tradition: La beauté du geste — ទេព ហត្ថា — The Perfect Motion

This 2-minute preview gives an advance look at the film to be released on March 13, 2024.
***
En 1906, Auguste Rodin découvre les danseuses cambodgiennes lors d'une représentation du Ballet royal à Paris. Fasciné par leur gestuelle, il produit en quelques jours une œuvre magistrale de 150 dessins. Depuis cette date, jusqu'à la création d'un nouveau spectacle pour une tournée en France et en Suisse un siècle plus t**d, le ballet royal cambodgien survit aux épreuves de l'Histoire et nous transporte, entre l'Orient et l'Occident, dans un univers de splendeur et de mystère.

Un film de Xavier de Lauzanne
écrit par Xavier de Lauzanne et Pierre Kogan
produit par Aloest Films
***
In 1906, Auguste Rodin discovered Cambodian dancers during a performance of the Royal Ballet in Paris. Fascinated by their gestures, he produced a masterful work of 150 drawings in a few days. Since then, until the creation of a new show for a tour in France and Switzerland a century later, the Cambodian Royal Ballet has survived the trials of history and transports us, between East and West, into a universe of splendor and mystery.

A film by Xavier de Lauzanne
Written by Xavier de Lauzanne and Pierre Kogan
Produced by Aloest Films
***

La Beauté du Geste - Bande annonce VF En 1906, Auguste Rodin découvre les danseuses cambodgiennes lors d'une représentation du Ballet royal à Paris. Fasciné par leur…

"Khmer Times" reporter Peter Olszewski explores some mysteries about Kent Davis, an independent researcher who has been studying the mysterious female carvings of Angkor Wat for nearly 20 years.

Decoding the secrets of the Angkor women - Khmer Times For almost a quarter of a century, American researcher Kent Davis has been asking a lot of questions about the 1,780 sacred women realistically rendered in stone on the walls of Angkor Wat and other temples.

On January 26 at Preah Khan Temple and Prasat Kravanh in Siem Reap, WMF will celebrate their 35-year milestone. The Sacred Dancers will be dedicating a Buong Suong during the gala dinner at Prasat Kravanh to pledge to the Spirits of the Temple to allow the audience to use the sacred ground not only as an entertainment venue but also to bless the audience. 🙏

Sacred Dancers of Angkor to give ‘magnificent’ performance - Khmer Times The Sacred Dancers of Angkor, which embody traditional values of elegance, respect and spirituality during the time of the Khmer Empire has promised to give a “magnificent” performance as they will showcase their skill and talent during the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the World Monume...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City agreed to return 13 antiquities tied to "illicit trafficking" to Cambodia. The pieces are tied to Douglas Latchford, an antiquities dealer who was indicted in 2019 for smuggling, conspiracy and wire fraud, among other charges, before his death.

Metropolitan Museum of Art returning Cambodian antiquities tied to "illicit trafficking" More than a dozen antiquities tied to looting in Cambodia will be returned to the country under an agreement between prosecutors in New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Students in California’s public schools could soon start learning about Cambodia’s long history and vibrant culture, after a law was passed in October setting in motion a model curriculum that will be made available across the state.

Coming Soon to California Schools: Cambodian History and Culture The model curriculum will provide teachers with everything they need to integrate Cambodian culture history and curriculum into their courses or classes, such as lesson plans, primary documents and teaching strategies.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/sep/14/damian-evans-death-archaeologist-dies-discovered-medieval-cities-near-angkor-wat

Damien changed the landscape of the Khmer Empire. Literally. We are grateful to him and remember his contributions.

Archaeology world mourns Damian Evans, who discovered medieval cities near Angkor Wat Tributes flow for ‘incredibly generous’ Australian Canadian researcher, who used space laser technology to uncover landscapes in south-east Asia

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-return-significant-collection-antiquities-cambodia

U.S. Attorney Announces Return Of Significant Collection Of Antiquities To Cambodia:

In January 2022, 21 antiquities were returned to the Kingdom of Cambodia after being smuggled out and sold in the United States.

The antiquities include bronze and stone statues, pottery, and decorative carvings dating from the 6th to 12th centuries.

They were looted from Koh Ker, an ancient Khmer city in northern Cambodia that was briefly the capital in the 10th century.

The antiquities were trafficked and sold by Douglas Latchford, a well-known antiquities dealer who was indicted in 2019 for antiquities smuggling.

Latchford died in 2020, but the case continued and the antiquities were voluntarily relinquished by private collectors and museums.

The returned artifacts include a 10th century stone kneeling figure of a devotee, a 6th century Buddha head, and a Prasat Chen-style standing figure.

Officials hailed the return as an important step in restoring Cambodia's cultural heritage, especially from Koh Ker which had been heavily looted.

More than 30 statues and artifacts from Koh Ker have been repatriated from the United States since 2020. Discussions are ongoing to return additional pieces.

U.S. Attorney Announces Return Of Significant Collection Of Antiquities To Cambodia Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the return of 33 Khmer antiquities to the Kingdom of Cambodia, pursuant to an agreement between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the family of the late George Lindemann.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501316496/apsara-continues-consolidating-platform-of-angkor-wats-bakan-tower/

APSARA continues consolidating platform of Angkor Wat’s Bakan Tower - Khmer Times Experts from the Department of Conservation of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology at the APSARA National Authority continue the third phase project of consolidating the platform of Angkor Wat’s Bakan tower to strengthen the damaged structure.