In late 2006, dancers and musicians of Cambodia's classical arts tradition premiered an evening-length dance-drama at the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna, Austria, based on the Mozart opera, The Magic Flute. [note 1] Entitled Pamina Devi (after the name of the central character), the cast included only women as dancers, playing both female and male roles, as is the convention in Khmer classical dance. [note 2] A leading "male" character — Preah Arun Tipadey, ruler of the Realm of the Sun (Sarastro in The Magic Flute) — was danced by Pen Sokhuon. Now in her 50s, Sokhuon has thought at many points over the years that her performing career had come to an end. Yet, time and time again, even when she imagined she was past her prime as an artist, her expertise and presence were needed, in both ritual and theatrical contexts. And, here she was, in her fifth decade, taking a central role on the international stage in a tradition that generally prioritizes youth.
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Pen Sokhuon as Preah Arun Tipadey in Pamina Devi, New Crowned Hope Festival, Vienna, 2006; choreography by Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, photograph by John Shapiro, © John Shapiro, 2006.
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Sokhuon's centrality to Cambodia's dance world stems in part from her continued technical prowess and expressive elegance. But it also reflects a broader truth: Cambodia's tragic twentieth-century history has had an enormous impact on the cultural life of the country, leaving alive perhaps only a tenth of the nation's professional artists by the end of the 1970s. Teaching new generations of dancers under the daunting conditions of continued civil war and extreme poverty has resulted in the graduation of persevering, accomplished younger performers, some of whom have stayed in Cambodia and continued to dance, and many others of whom have left the arts for better-paying work, or left the country altogether. The wide impact of recent history on the lives of artists is brought into high relief when we trace the experiences of a prominent dancer such as Pen Sokhuon.
Shortly before Sokhuon was born in 1950, her grandmother had an unusual dream. In it, several people emerged from the throne hall of the royal palace and asked Sokhuon's mother to accept a unique diamond ring. This ring, they claimed, possessed great significance for their country. At first, the young woman demurred. Eventually she gave in, and held out her hand to receive the precious gift. Not long after the grandmother had this dream, her daughter gave birth to Sokhuon, who was to become a principal dancer in Cambodia's royal troupe. Pen Sokhuon believes the ring was a symbol of the dancer about to take her place on this earth, and that is was, as well, a reminder of the value and potency of her art.
