Despite the war and death raging around him, he was able to spend months documenting and preserving the history of this artform, and has now published his research about Cambodian dance drama in the book, “Earth in Flower.”
After Paul Cravath’s research on the Royal Cambodian Ballet was cut short, following intensive bombing in Cambodia in 1975, his dissertation languished until completion in 1984. Royal Cambodian Dance Presentation by Chatfield Author Paul Cravath
Centuries of knowledge about Cambodia’s traditional dances, which are full of history and legend, were almost buried with the victims in the Khmer Rouge’s mass graves.
As life after a fire is rebuilt, passion for Khmer culture is reborn. Davis’ first love affair with Southeast Asia and its culture began nearly two decades ago. A Love Affair With Cambodia for Angkor Wat Researcher Kent Davis
Two recently published books on Cambodia’s classical dance reveal aspects of the art that have rarely been addressed in previous works. The Language of Khmer Classical Dance in Cambodia
