The Influence of Siamese Viceroy Royal Court Dance-Drama on Cambodian Dance

Abstract

          This article describes the influence of the Thai royal dance-drama of the Rattanakosin period on the Cambodian royal court of that period.

          The article shows that, due to some conflict within the royal court during King Rama V era (1868-1910), some members of the Siamese royal dance-drama troupe, under the patronage of the viceroy (Prince Wichaichan), emigrated to Cambodia and taught the Thai royal court dance-drama to the Cambodian royal court. The performers known as “Pring” and “Lek” brought the dramatic epic “Phra Samut” (composed by Prince Wichaichan) to the Cambodian court, which became very popular amongst Cambodian courtiers. King Norodom Sihanouk’s mother adapted one of the episodes in the Phra Samut narrative (Bussamali Chom Suan) to create the well-known Cambodian “Apsara Dance,” the costumes for which were inspired by the Apsara engraving stone figure of Angkor Wat. The Apsara dance was brought to international attention in the movie “L'Oiseau de Paradis”

(“The Bird of Paradise”) directed by Marcel Camus in 1962, with the lead dancer HRH Samdech Reach Botrei Preach Ream Norodom Buppha Devi (1943-2019). Moreover, costumes used in the Cambodian royal court dance were similar to Siamese royal artworks of the Prince Wichaichan period. For example, the lady’s head adornment and royal lady’s accessories appear on the Siamese royal puppet figure, and the floral head decoration of both the Siamese and Cambodian royal court dances show the same Thai influence on art in the Cambodian royal court.