For your viewing enjoyment...a little video of Cambodian dancing! This was the last night of the FHCambodia staff retreat, at the end of my second week in the country. After a big and tasty banquet, it was time to party! Karaoke and dancing are a common way to celebrate in Cambodia--at events such as this one, at weddings--we even danced a few times as a fun break during our staff training the week before. The hand gestures you see here are based on traditional Khmer dance movements. Called "apsara," the movements are highly controlled and symbolic when done formally. Less formally, if you want to join in--walk around the room in a circle with everyone else, and copy the hand and feet movements, and you'll fit right in. Khmer dancing is similar to dances done in Thailand and Laos, and representations of the movements are found carved in the ancient Cambodian ruins at Angkor Wat. If you are curious, you can check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_classical_dance
Another video clip with more dancing and the karaoke setup:
