Urban Khmer Ballet Hosts Neakru Sophiline Cheam Shapiro in Lowell

RSVP for all workshops: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyyFT0IoFjv-PNA0alaBo_AywE9bB3xSgygpK6izm9CnEUdw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0zerx_mI0DBSCLy0wJMghewRRuXs4rp0PVhyl3VMNBuxMbsVPNTVeVVww

Urban Khmer Ballet is a new initiative created by Angkor Dance Troupe Alumni, Chummeng Soun and Peter Veth. The mission primarily focuses on renegotiating a place for the diaspora in Cambodian performance art and dance.

The renegotiation of a place for diaspora in Cambodian dance poses the question – what might the future hold for Cambodia’s performing arts and culture in the diaspora?

In Lowell, MA, Cambodian performance arts is connected to the notion of protecting and safeguarding as a form of cultural preservation. Master teachers, local organizations, and local dance troupes within the perimeter of Lowell are laser-focused on cultural preservation, posing the question for many Cambodian performance artists today: What might the future hold? Finding themselves treading the balancing act between staying true to cultural heritage and their creative interpretation of bodily expression.

Embarking on this journey with Urban Khmer Ballet is Neakru Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, a choreographer known for her contemporary approach to choreography and dances; combining classical Cambodian gestures and body movements to express contemporary ideas. To answer this question, we invited Neakru to have a dialogue that is in response to her experiences as an artist that challenges the norms of Cambodian tradition to share with the next generation of cultural custodians in Lowell. Neakru Sophiline Cheam Shapiro has recently made headlines when she was kicked out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY for praying to the statues of her Ancestral Gods.

To celebrate Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month, Urban Khmer Ballet is proud to announce that they will be hosting a series of celebrations that include a film screening, dialogue, dance demonstration, writing, dance performance, and writing workshops that encompasses the question regarding: what might the future hold for Cambodia’s performing arts and culture in the diaspora? The goal of this 5-day program is to experience, exercise, and express the ideas. Technical workshops and dialogue are tools to help the article respond to their ongoing questions.

Programming is currently free to the public:

May 16th: Meet and greet from 5:00pm-7:00pm May 17th: Season of Migration 6:30pm-9:00pm May 18th: Dance Rehearsal 5:00pm-7:00pm

All programs will take place at:

Richard K. and Nancy L. Donahue Family Academic Arts Center

240 Central St. Lowell, MA 01852

The following Zoom Link is available for guests who wish to attend virutally:

https://middlesex-mass-edu.zoom.us/j/94172385841

RSVP for all workshops:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyyFT0IoFjv-PNA0alaBo_AywE9bB3xSgygpK6izm9CnEUdw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0zerx_mI0DBSCLy0wJMghewRRuXs4rp0PVhyl3VMNBuxMbsVPNTVeVVww

This program is supported by Urban Khmer Ballet, Angkor Dance Troupe (ADT), Cambodian American Literary Arts Association (CALAA). Presented through the support of the Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation Program (CAST) at Brandeis University and Fulbright-Hays 2023 to Cambodia.

Fulbright-Hays: Angkor Dance Troupe demonstration and lecture

The Fulbright-Hays Program -- a Fulbright Program funded by a Congressional appropriation to the United States Department of Education-- awards grants to individual U.S. K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to U.S. institutions and organizations. Funding supports research and training efforts overseas, which focus on non-Western foreign languages and area studies.

The program was founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 and is considered to be one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world.

On April 28, 2023, Angkor Dance Troupe (ADT) hosted "A Demonstration of the Arts and Culture of Cambodia and Cambodian Tradition" at Middlesex Community College's (MCC) Donahue Family Academic Arts Center in Lowell, MA. Narration and lecture led by ADT Alumni and MCC Professor Chummeng Soun.

Video courtesy of Middlesex Community College.

Swva Pol (Monkey) Dance Workshop Presented by Lowell Kids Week

On Saturday, February 25, 2023, Angkor Dance Troupe participated in Lowell Kids Week by teaching the acrobatic classical dance Swva Pol, also known as the "Monkey Dance". The workshop was led by Dance Instructors, Peter Chea and Curtis Mai.

Lowell Kids Week is a partnership between several organizations in Lowell, Massachusetts, providing free, unique activities for kids and families during February and April school vacations.

Mission: Lowell Kids Week builds connections among a wide variety of local organizations, agencies, businesses, and families, while providing access to fun, inter-generational experiences in our community.

Lowell Kids Week is a partnership-based organization made up of representatives from local groups, agencies, and businesses; our partners volunteer their time and resources to make all programs happen, free of charge.

• Lowell National Historical Park

• Coalition for a Better Acre

• Lowell Recreation Department

• Mill City Grows

• Pollard Memorial Library

• Tsongas Industrial History Center

• UMass Lowell

• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

The event took place at Angkor Dance Troupe's Studio inside the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center. Guests ranged from ages 5-18 years old.

The next Lowell Kids Week event will take place in April 2023 during the Lowell Public Schools spring vacation.

Photos were provided by the Lowell Cultural Council.