Sunday, November 1, 2009

Giggling Apsaras, Angkor Wat

I caught these sweet apsara dancers giggling together before a dance performance in the ruins at Angkor Thom (part of the Angkor Wat region).

Apsaras, celestial dancing nymphs, are an important part of the Hindu and Buddhist mythology, and can be seen carved in bas relief in great numbers at the temples of Angkor. The traditional Khmer dance is also called "Apsara Dancing" and is a beautiful, elegant dance to watch.

1 comment:

Joy said...

The dance is a magnificent experience to behold! :)

The dancer embodies the Khmer ideals of beauty, grace, and continuity - continuity not only between the past and present, but also between the realm of gods and that of men.

The classical dance is made up primarily of episodes from the Reamker, the Cambodian version of the great Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Although based on the Indian epic, the Reamker contains many episodes that do not exist in the original. It is a uniquely Cambodian representation of social relationships and the moral universe.