【亚洲•柬埔寨】柬埔寨皇家舞剧 The Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2008年)

柬埔寨皇家舞剧，也叫高棉古典舞，与高棉宫廷紧密相连，已经有1000多年的渊源。这种舞蹈以其优雅的手势和色彩艳丽的服饰而著称。在王室的各种庆典和仪式上，诸如加冕礼、婚礼、葬礼或是高棉人的节日等等，都有这种舞蹈表演。这一侥幸逃脱了20世纪70年代的浩劫的艺术，一直受到世界各地的柬埔寨人的珍视。
　　据传说，这种舞蹈的历史和高棉人民的历史一样久远。舞蹈的雕像，早在9世纪就出现在吴哥窟的一些著名庙宇里。长久以来，这种舞蹈具有一种神圣的象征性作用，它体现着高雅、崇敬和灵性等传统价值。其剧目促进了有关高棉人民起源的神话的保存。因此柬埔寨人一直把这项传统当作高棉文化的象征。
　　古典舞剧一共有四种角色类型：女人(Neang)，男人(Neayrong)，巨人(Yeak)和猴子(Sva)，每种角色都有其独特的色彩、服装、化妆、面具和手势。这些程式化的手势和姿态，要求多年的训练才可掌握，它表现人类的七情六欲，诸如恐惧、忿怒、爱与欢喜等等。舞蹈表演过程中乐队演奏庄严的音乐为其伴奏，一支女子合唱队用歌声为剧情的发展以及舞蹈所传达的情感进行解说。 毋庸置疑，这些高雅的舞蹈者被人们看作是国王与上帝和祖先之间的信使。

Cambodian Royal Dance Drama, also known as Khmer Classical Dance, is closely connected with Khmer Court and has a history of more than 1000 years. This dance is famous for its elegant gestures and colorful costumes. This kind of dance is performed in various royal celebrations and ceremonies, such as coronation, weddings, funerals or Khmer festivals. The art of escaping the catastrophe of the 1970s has been cherished by Cambodians all over the world.

According to legend, the history of this dance is as old as that of the Khmer people. Dance statues appeared in some famous temples in Angkor Wat as early as the 9th century. For a long time, this kind of dance has a sacred symbolic function, which embodies the traditional values of elegance, reverence and spirituality. Its repertoire promotes the preservation of myths about the origin of the Khmer people. So Cambodians have always regarded this tradition as a symbol of Khmer culture.

There are four types of characters in classical dance drama: Neang, Neayrong, Yeak and Sva, each of which has its own unique color, costume, makeup, mask and gesture. These stylized gestures and gestures require years of training before they can be mastered. They express human beings'seven passions and six desires, such as fear, anger, love and joy. During the dance performance, the orchestra played solemn music as its accompaniment. A women's chorus explained the development of the plot and the emotions conveyed by the dance by singing. There is no doubt that these elegant dancers are regarded as messengers between the king and God and their ancestors.