Kampuchean Buddhist Association

Bay Area Asian/Asian-American/Pacific Islander Dance Folklife/Other

The Kampuchean Buddhist Association serves the Cambodian community of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.  Current and past services provided to the community by the association include: a youth sports program, an elderly support program, and a dance program taught by master Cambodian classical dancer Charya Cheam Burt.  The association’s center has been the meeting place for many Cambodian Americans, about 200 families, to come together to celebrate their traditions and to seek support from one another.  The dance program taught by Charya is one of the only opportunities young Cambodian Americans in Santa Rosa have to learn about their cultural traditions and heritage.

In 2004, particiapation in ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program supported the continuation of the Cambodian classical dance workshops taught by Charya Cheam Burt.  This new set of workshops took place for 12 weeks consisted of warm-ups, basic exercises, intensive training in basic movement, foot work, and a review of techniques and dances previously learned by the students.  In addition, one new classical and one new folk dance piece was taught.