Musical Traditions and Charya Burt

“The Rebirth of Apsara: Artistic Lineage, Cultural Resilience, and the Resurrection of Cambodian Arts from the Ashes of Genocide,” a dance-theater piece exploring how Khmer arts have embodied the essence of Cambodian culture from ancient mythology to its post-1970s genocide revitalization.

Musical Traditions is commissioning Cambodian American dancer, choreographer and, culture bearer Charya Burt to create a dance/theater work that will feature a reimagined Khmer classical dance set to new music by celebrated Cambodian composer Chinary Ung. The work will explore how Khmer arts have embodied the essence of Cambodian culture from ancient mythology to its post-1970s genocide revitalization. The project will bring together four generations of multi-disciplinary Cambodian American artists (composer, theatermaker, poet, and dancers) and other collaborators. The project title is “The Rebirth of Apsara: Artistic Lineage, Cultural Resilience, and the Resurrection of Cambodian Arts from the Ashes of Genocide.” The work will premiere on Cambodian Victory Over Genocide Day, which is January 7, 2024.