Currently browsing tag

cultural heritage

Nou Nam, left, had been the favorite dancer of both King Norodom and King Sisowath. In her 50s in 1927, she agreed to help Georges Groslier archive Khmer classical dance movements in photographic form. Ith, right, would only pose for the camera when her rival in the Royal Ballet was absent, Georges Groslier wrote in 1928. (National Museum Collection)

Royal Cambodian Dancers of Sisowath in 1927 Photos by George Groslier

“Cambodian royal dances, the ad­mirable artistic tradition and all the indigenous past they represent are seriously threatened due to the very evolution of Cambodia and Western progress.” These prophetic words could have been written at any time, but they were actually penned in 1928 by George Groslier, founder and director of the National Museum in Phnom Penh. See dozens of these rare photos, recently revealed by the National Museum of Cambodia.