"Mother Nature" A collaboration of Kuoy Traditions and contemporary dance

"Mother Nature" A collaboration of Kuoy Traditions and contemporary dance

Translated by Sameang 

Standfirst: "Bundosdus Domkompeach or Chonghuy Doknouvche” is a new dance piece co-created by the Kuoy community with contemporary dance troupe,performed during this year’s Cultural Season. 

Mother Nature or “Chonghuy Doknouvche in Kuoy language” is a collaborative performance of contemporary dance, and dance from the Kuoy indigenous community reflecting culture, tradition and living close to nature, choreographed  around the theme of the 2022 Cultural Season - Action Today, Consequences Tomorrow.

Two artists joined hands to create Chonghuy Doknouvche. The name comes from the Kuoy language and can be translated as “cultivation and damage.” The aim of the collaborative project is to draw attention to the natural resources that  will bring future benefits to all of us. Alternatively, if we continue to ignore and destroy our natural resources, it will have a negative impact in return.

Chonghuy Doknouvche is the work of Ms. Chumvan Sodhachivy, also known as Belle, and Ms. Kha Sros. Belle is a contemporary dancer, and lecturer in contemporary and classical dance at the Faculty of Choreography of the Royal University of Fine Arts, while Kha Sros is an artist and leader  of the  Kuoy indigenous community from Stung Treng province.

The dance performance will feature Kuoy traditions and livelihoods relying on  natural resources to support the daily lives of the Kuoy people,  from collecting the resin from trees in the forest, to the practice of animism and other types of occultism.

Through many years of experience living in the Prey Lang community and noticing the gradual loss of traditional culture as well as the arts of the Kuoy community; this co-choreographer Sros confirmed that "I present this dance in order to preserve and promote  the identity of the Kuoy people."  

She went on to say that, "To ensure the continuity of the Kuoy traditions, we want the next generation to understand the values and thus will take care of it”

Belle noted that the depiction of the ways of living of the Kuoy community is very valuable knowledge as it reflects the value of the environment and its inseparable relationship with human beings, by and large. 

Speaking about the connection between contemporary dance and Kuoy dance, Belle mentioned that "Kuoy people presents the dances, songs and traditions from their ancestors, however, at the same time it’s also associated with their lives [today].”

Although the styles and techniques of the two dances are different, they both emphasise the values ​​and importance of nature.

The rehearsal process for the performance began in October 2021, with the artists working on the two dancing styles while still keeping their uniqueness to create a story that shows the relationship between nature.

Through the process of creating the performance, Belle learned about the life of the indigenous Kuoy people by visiting their community. She observed such things as the use of leaves as a dish, illustrating a non-destructive way of living off the environment.

She sees it as a reminder to everyone to ask the question, "what should we do to minimise the impacts of our needs on the environment?"

"The message of this performance can inspire [the audiences] to see how important nature is for us and how it feeds humans. As individuals, if we do good deeds today, we will receive good things in return for our future,” she added. 

Meanwhile, the lead artist, Sros expressed her pleasure exclaiming "I am delighted to share the identity of our people such as our clothing and language, as well as our culture and traditions, to people inside and abroad so they can help promote it.."

The performance of "Chonghuy Doknouvche” [cultivation and damage] was part of the Cambodian Living Arts’ annual arts programming, Cultural Season. This 2022 theme is Action Today, Consequences Tomorrow.