Performance: The Legend of Apsara Mera
Performance: The Legend of Apsara Mera
HRH Princess Norodom Buppha Devi // Royal Ballet of Cambodia //
BAM
May 2, May 3 and May 4
7:30pm
Post-show Artist Talk: Members of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia in conversation with Marina Harss
May 3 (free for same-day ticket holders)
For a thousand years, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia danced only for the gods. Resurrected spectacularly in the wake of the Khmer Rouge into a closely guarded yet flourishing modern form, the Royal Ballet comes to BAM with the breathtaking Legend of Apsara Mera, featured as a centerpiece of the citywide Season of Cambodia festival.
With movement constructed by Her Royal Highness Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, a former prima ballerina in the Khmer tradition, Apsara Mera conjures the sanctified realm of two origin stories integral to Khmer culture: “Churning of the Sea of Milk” and “The Legend of Kambu and Mera.” Sumptuous movement, finely wrought costumes, and chanting evoke the comings and goings of celestial serpents and nymphs in this powerful offering from Southeast Asia, infused with divine ambrosia and modern expression alike.