“During the autumn of 2016, I ventured out to Siem Reap in Cambodia to undertake a three-month artistic residency with the pioneering all-female contemporary dance company, New Cambodian Artists (NCA). I have previously worked with NCA as a contemporary dance technique trainer over a two-month period in 2015 as part of a self-funded professional development initiative. I have been deeply touched by the artistic talent, strength and courage of these young artists. To be able to return to work with the company, this time in a choreographic capacity to develop a piece on the issue of domestic violence, was a dream come true.
‘Kom Lang Satrey’ (Power Women), is the successful outcome of this residency. The piece constituted the first work developed by a visiting artist and is an important addition to the company’s repertoire in disseminating their mission of female empowerment through dance. It was premiered in Phnom Penh in November at the Institut Français Culturel as part of the Dignity Project 2016. …”
Read Ellen Steinmuller’s report for ASEF Culture360 on the three-month artistic residency that she spent in Cambodia to develop a choreography addressing the issue of domestic violence with the first and only all-female contemporary dance company, New Cambodian Artists.
