Sokvannara (Sy) Sar performing Oberon in a Midsummer Night's Dream. (Photo: by Rex Tranter)Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Monday, 10 May 2010
It all started at a temple in Siem Reap province. Sokvannara Sar, better known as Sy, was performing the Fisherman Dance for tourists at Preah Khan temple.
The year was 2000, and among the audience that day was an American socialite and arts patron named Anne Bass. It was her first time in Cambodia, and after she left, she could not stop thinking about Sy.
She determined to find a way to put him into the world of ballet. That decision was the beginning of an odyssey for the dancer, one that is captured in a new film, “Dancing Across Borders.”
“This image of him and his spirit kept coming back to me,” Bass says in the film, which had a brief showing in Washington and other US cities recently. “And I thought about the fact that Cambodian dancers, especially male dancers, don’t have much for the future and I sensed a really great talent in him and I kept thinking how sad it would be just to leave that unrealized.”
Sy flew to the US under Bass’ sponsorship to receive training from ballet professionals. He was 16 year old—old in the dance world—and he spoke no English. But he impressed his teachers.
“The first time I saw him I thought this boy is stunning,” Jock Soto, a former professional dancer of the New York City Ballet says in the film. “He is so beautiful…and I didn’t have a clue what he could do.”
Sy told VOA Khmer recently he had no idea what ballet even was. He just showed up where he was told to show up, and he danced. He jumped up and down. He learned. He became a ballet dancer. He was taught under a professional coach, Olga Kostritzky, and he practiced. He practiced and practiced.
In 2006, he had a chance to perform for the opening of the new US Embassy in Phnom Penh. He flew through the air, jumped, flitted his legs, landed. His hands moved—up, down, sideways. He flexed his body to the tune of a piano. He did things many Cambodians had never seen. They marveled.
Later that year, he competed in Bulgaria, bringing the Cambodian flag for the first time in many years to an Olympic dance competition. He made it to the semi-finals before he was eliminated.
“I think one of the best parts of the competition for Sy was sharing the stage with dancers from ballet companies throughout the world,” Bass says.
Contestants were from many countries including Belarus, Kazakhstan and South Korea. He later began dancing for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, in Seattle.
“It wasn’t that we were forcing him on this fast track,” Peter Boal, artistic director for that ballet company, says. “It’s just he was able to learn what he needed to learn, accomplish what he needed to accomplish, in such a short amount of time to go up a level—which was great because if he couldn’t, he wouldn’t have made it as a professional dancer.”
“It’s really was quite remarkable,” he says. “I would have said it’s a one in a thousand chance that this could work, and I think we found that one.”
Sy’s natural ability and style have made it hard for people to believe he only recently began ballet—a Western form of classical dance that is far removed from Cambodian folk dance.
“Our Cambodian dance is different from ballet,” Sy said. “We don’t have to do too much bending. We do some, but we can start when we get older. But 99 percent of ballet dancers have to start at ages 8 or 9. Cambodia dance is slow. There is not too much jumping, twisting or extending legs. There is no toe twisting.”
Sy spent four years at the Pacific Northwest company. He quit a few months ago and is now looking for a new company. He has no plans yet to bring his learning back to Cambodia.
“I want to spend a bit more time studying this dance, but sometimes I think of going home,” he said. “In the future if there is a need to have me share knowledge or form a ballet group, that would be good, as there is no ballet in Cambodia.”
In fact, Cambodia once had ballet. It was taught by Russian coaches in the 1960s, said Proeung Chhoeung, an adviser to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.
And the government would like to see it return, although it has made little progress, he said. “We will surely have it in the future.”
The year was 2000, and among the audience that day was an American socialite and arts patron named Anne Bass. It was her first time in Cambodia, and after she left, she could not stop thinking about Sy.
She determined to find a way to put him into the world of ballet. That decision was the beginning of an odyssey for the dancer, one that is captured in a new film, “Dancing Across Borders.”
“This image of him and his spirit kept coming back to me,” Bass says in the film, which had a brief showing in Washington and other US cities recently. “And I thought about the fact that Cambodian dancers, especially male dancers, don’t have much for the future and I sensed a really great talent in him and I kept thinking how sad it would be just to leave that unrealized.”
Sy flew to the US under Bass’ sponsorship to receive training from ballet professionals. He was 16 year old—old in the dance world—and he spoke no English. But he impressed his teachers.
“The first time I saw him I thought this boy is stunning,” Jock Soto, a former professional dancer of the New York City Ballet says in the film. “He is so beautiful…and I didn’t have a clue what he could do.”
Sy told VOA Khmer recently he had no idea what ballet even was. He just showed up where he was told to show up, and he danced. He jumped up and down. He learned. He became a ballet dancer. He was taught under a professional coach, Olga Kostritzky, and he practiced. He practiced and practiced.
In 2006, he had a chance to perform for the opening of the new US Embassy in Phnom Penh. He flew through the air, jumped, flitted his legs, landed. His hands moved—up, down, sideways. He flexed his body to the tune of a piano. He did things many Cambodians had never seen. They marveled.
Later that year, he competed in Bulgaria, bringing the Cambodian flag for the first time in many years to an Olympic dance competition. He made it to the semi-finals before he was eliminated.
“I think one of the best parts of the competition for Sy was sharing the stage with dancers from ballet companies throughout the world,” Bass says.
Contestants were from many countries including Belarus, Kazakhstan and South Korea. He later began dancing for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, in Seattle.
“It wasn’t that we were forcing him on this fast track,” Peter Boal, artistic director for that ballet company, says. “It’s just he was able to learn what he needed to learn, accomplish what he needed to accomplish, in such a short amount of time to go up a level—which was great because if he couldn’t, he wouldn’t have made it as a professional dancer.”
“It’s really was quite remarkable,” he says. “I would have said it’s a one in a thousand chance that this could work, and I think we found that one.”
Sy’s natural ability and style have made it hard for people to believe he only recently began ballet—a Western form of classical dance that is far removed from Cambodian folk dance.
“Our Cambodian dance is different from ballet,” Sy said. “We don’t have to do too much bending. We do some, but we can start when we get older. But 99 percent of ballet dancers have to start at ages 8 or 9. Cambodia dance is slow. There is not too much jumping, twisting or extending legs. There is no toe twisting.”
Sy spent four years at the Pacific Northwest company. He quit a few months ago and is now looking for a new company. He has no plans yet to bring his learning back to Cambodia.
“I want to spend a bit more time studying this dance, but sometimes I think of going home,” he said. “In the future if there is a need to have me share knowledge or form a ballet group, that would be good, as there is no ballet in Cambodia.”
In fact, Cambodia once had ballet. It was taught by Russian coaches in the 1960s, said Proeung Chhoeung, an adviser to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.
And the government would like to see it return, although it has made little progress, he said. “We will surely have it in the future.”
4 comments:
sokvannara sar do have ballet talent. glad that the american philanthropist saw that potential in him while visiting cambodia. it goes to show that individuals like sokvannara, when given a chance or an opportunity, can blossom and be one day famous, etc... sad that not everyone in cambodia, who has a lot of hidden talents, whether, dancing, singing, art performance, writing, speaking, etc, etc aren't able to get good support and chance to blossom with their god given talents as well. i'm not surprise that that are many more talented khmer individuals in whatever field are still many more out there in cambodia. perhaps, it tkes everyone from all over the western world to spot them and help them to reveal their ability. remember, even the late, famous khmer singer and diva ros sereysothea was talented, but like sokvannar, her talent was accidentally discovered due to some individuals who toured cambodia's countryside in the 1960s and invited her and her family to phnom penh to be trained further. i hope more talented, khmer people will be discovered again. god bless them all and god bless those individuals who helped them achieve their dreams.
Ambassador Hor Nam Bora's wife was a ballet dancer. Many dancers were sent to Russia in the 1960s. The University of Fine Arts had a class of Western Ballet Dance, to distinguish from the Royal Ballet Dance
When westerners visit Siamreap, they don't come to see western dances, they want to see Khmer dances, if they want to see western dances they stay home.
God Bless Ms. Bass's heart for introducing us to the new world. This perhaps the only way that some of us can really catch up with the future. Remember Sin Sisamoth or Ros Serei Sothea sang Western's songs in 60's? Who could have known then that we could come that far? Our best performers did their fantastic job doing it and look it them today. They are our wonderful wonderful treasure! and absolutely timeless. Well, Sy this may be your best chance ever to do your part. Also God bless & best wishes!
Ordinary Khmer
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