Neak Kru Charya correcting me on my posture as we work on “Buong Suong Peam”, a male role. I may be smiling, but my body is screaming!
This past weekend, Neak Kru (formal way of calling your female teacher) Charya and I had our second workshop. We rehearsed for our upcoming show on March 12th at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. For this performance she is preparing me for the dances “Buong Suong Pream” which is a dance that is part of a blessing ceremony to ask for rain when there is a drought and “Forever my Ancesotors” which is one of her choregraphed pieces. Both dances I will be dancing the male role. Since our first workshop, we have been focusing on the male role because it is a more challenging role for me than the female role. This particular role is very challenging because it is more strenuous on my body. The posture and movements of the male are bigger than the females and there is more pressure put on my legs because I have to keep them open the whole time. I would say that it feels like holding a squat position for 10 minutes at a time. Another challanging factor of this role is the attitude and being masculine. I consider myself as being very feminine and I don’t have a masculine bone in my body, but it is very possible to do this. When I watch Neak Kru Charya or another professional dancer dance the male role, I sometimes forget that they are women. I get lost in the performance.
At end of the day, I leave feeling very sore in not just my legs, but every part of my body. I know that I’m doing something right, but I’m alwys told, “If it doesn’t hurt, then you’re probably not doing it right.” Though my body is in pain, but I am very happy. I do feel that my skills are progessing and I am becoming a better dancer. I feel very fortunate to be an apprentice of Neak Kru Charya. I am also very excited for our performance! If you are around LA on March 12, please come see our performance! That is all for today.
<3 Mea Lath