Canton woman dances with Cambodian dance troupe

Submitted photo. Chris Brown, at rear, danced April 18 with Cambodian dance group The Children of Bassac at The Watkinson School, in Hartford.

Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Canton News (Canton, Connecticut, USA)

HARTFORD — Watkinson School teacher Chris Brown, of Canton, danced with members of the Cambodian dance troupe The Children of Bassac in its premiere performance in Connecticut, April 17 and 18. The group, an emerging traditional Cambodian Dance group that has been supported by Cambodian Living Arts since 2003, gave a sold-out performance to the public April 17, and Brown danced with them in a performance just for the students and staff of Watkinson April 18. The tour featured ten highly-talented young Cambodian dancers who perform a combination of ancient, classical and lively folk dances.

While in Hartford, the dancers stayed with Watkinson families. All funds raised benefited Cambodian Living Arts and its important work of restoring Cambodia’s folk arts following their decimation by the Khmer Rouge.

Watkinson School, in Hartford, has many ties to Cambodia and the Cambodian Living Arts. Charley Todd, former Head of School at Watkinson for 28 years, is now Chair of the Leadership Council for the Cambodian Living Arts and moved to Cambodia to help the cause. In each of the last six years, Watkinson students have traveled on three-week-long service learning trips to Cambodia, where they work with a village that is built around a living arts master teacher. Over the years, students have built strong relationships, and follow the villagers about what work is needed and doable by students each year. Watkinson students raise money by being hired to do odd jobs each spring, selling goods they import from Cambodia, and other activites. In past visits, they have built a community center and latrines, planted fruit trees, installed water filters, established a women’s health committee and health/nutrition classes for them at a local hospital, bought instruments that are hand made in the village, and supplied them with medicines, bicycles, and sewing machines.

Members of the Global Studies program at Watkinson School will depart for their next trip to Cambodia in summer of 2011 and hope that the event will bring awareness to the greater Hartford community.