Somaly Hay
Cambodian, 1959 - 2016
BiographySomaly Hay is a Cambodian court dancer trained from a very young age at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh by revered teachers Soth Sam On, Aum Prong, and Chhea Samy. Cambodian classical dance has been part of royal court life in Cambodia for over a thousand years. On the walls of the temples at Angkor Wat, apsara, celestial dancers carved in stone, have provided the inspirations for court dance characters. Court dance is essentially a female tradition, with women performing the main roles of prince, princess, and Giant. An unusually versatile artist, Somaly can dance each of these characters, and specialized in the difficult role of the Giant. For this role she was mentored by the master of all masked dances who also had extensive knowledge of all roles, dances, songs, history, and repertoire in Cambodian court dance. This teacher gave Somaly deep insights into the secret things that she had done when she was a dancer. Somaly dedicated her own teaching to the memory of this master, Soth Sam On.
During the Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975-1979, eleven members of Somaly’s family were killed. Surviving the upheaval in their country through strength, intelligence, and determination, Somaly along with her husband and brother escaped to the U.S. in 1981, and other family members followed later. She was one of the few court dancers remaining alive who had learned in the traditional way. In the U.S., Somaly’s husband Khandarith sometimes accompanied her performances as a vocalist, while her brother Sotha and sister Sophanna created elaborate costumes for her roles. From 1991 to 1995 she was a master dancer in the Cambodian Artists Project at Jacob’s Pillow, and has contributed to an important film documentary project on Cambodian dance. As a performer Somaly danced with the Apsara Ensemble led by the renowned musician Sam Ang Sam. She performed either solo or as part of a troupe at organizations including Connecticut College, Angkor Dance Theatre, and Cambridge Multicultural Council, as well as in New York at the Asian Music Society and World Music Institute. Somaly was deeply involved in New England Cambodian community activities, especially New Year celebrations and performances at local temples.
The Connecticut Commission on the Arts recognized Somaly as a Master Teaching Artist, and she won a Commission Fellowship Award for choreography in 1999. In addition to residencies in schools from Connecticut to Alaska, Somaly taught folk, social, and classical dance to many young Cambodians in their communities. Somaly also trained her daughters and nieces to dance with her, and mentored three apprentices over four years in CCHAP’s Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Somaly produced an instructional video of the roles and gestures of Cambodian dance for distance learning students. In 2015, Somaly received a special Governor’s Citation from the State of Connecticut. She passed away in 2016.
“As a classical Cambodian dancer trained at the Royal Palace from childhood, I continue to perform in America. I also teach Cambodian classical, folk, and social dance to Cambodian students in Connecticut and Rhode Island, because my whole family feels a commitment to preserving and passing on our culture. Many Cambodian children are born here now - we want them to understand themselves as Cambodian AND American. I serve as a Connecticut Commission on the Arts Master Teaching Artist, giving residencies in schools, performing with children, and working with teachers to incorporate my art into their curriculum.
One of my greatest loves is to create new dances based on Cambodian myths and folk tales performed in the classical court style, as I did for the Cambodian Artists Project at Jacob's Pillow and for the Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell, Massachusetts, where there is a very large Cambodian population. In 1994, I developed and choreographed a story called Strength of Spirit at Connecticut College. The story is, sadly, very appropriate to young Cambodians today in the U.S., as it deals with the problems of peer pressure and substance abuse. My dance presented culture and family as ways to strengthen a young girl's resistance to temptations and forge her own identity. It is hard to find the number of trained Cambodian dancers needed to perform the traditional dance stories or my new pieces. That is why I am eager to teach the next generation of dancers - including my two daughters - who can then become part of a New England Cambodian dance ensemble. I have worked with a videographer to record the essential elements of Cambodian dance: the kbach (postures) which are crucial to the correct portrayal of the central characters in the dance dramas. I can demonstrate these "building blocks" of choreography, then show how they are woven together through movement and expression to create the dance. This video provides young dancers with the best examples of form, so they can practice outside of class, and it documents the thousand-year-old memory of Cambodian dance.”
During the Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975-1979, eleven members of Somaly’s family were killed. Surviving the upheaval in their country through strength, intelligence, and determination, Somaly along with her husband and brother escaped to the U.S. in 1981, and other family members followed later. She was one of the few court dancers remaining alive who had learned in the traditional way. In the U.S., Somaly’s husband Khandarith sometimes accompanied her performances as a vocalist, while her brother Sotha and sister Sophanna created elaborate costumes for her roles. From 1991 to 1995 she was a master dancer in the Cambodian Artists Project at Jacob’s Pillow, and has contributed to an important film documentary project on Cambodian dance. As a performer Somaly danced with the Apsara Ensemble led by the renowned musician Sam Ang Sam. She performed either solo or as part of a troupe at organizations including Connecticut College, Angkor Dance Theatre, and Cambridge Multicultural Council, as well as in New York at the Asian Music Society and World Music Institute. Somaly was deeply involved in New England Cambodian community activities, especially New Year celebrations and performances at local temples.
The Connecticut Commission on the Arts recognized Somaly as a Master Teaching Artist, and she won a Commission Fellowship Award for choreography in 1999. In addition to residencies in schools from Connecticut to Alaska, Somaly taught folk, social, and classical dance to many young Cambodians in their communities. Somaly also trained her daughters and nieces to dance with her, and mentored three apprentices over four years in CCHAP’s Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Somaly produced an instructional video of the roles and gestures of Cambodian dance for distance learning students. In 2015, Somaly received a special Governor’s Citation from the State of Connecticut. She passed away in 2016.
“As a classical Cambodian dancer trained at the Royal Palace from childhood, I continue to perform in America. I also teach Cambodian classical, folk, and social dance to Cambodian students in Connecticut and Rhode Island, because my whole family feels a commitment to preserving and passing on our culture. Many Cambodian children are born here now - we want them to understand themselves as Cambodian AND American. I serve as a Connecticut Commission on the Arts Master Teaching Artist, giving residencies in schools, performing with children, and working with teachers to incorporate my art into their curriculum.
One of my greatest loves is to create new dances based on Cambodian myths and folk tales performed in the classical court style, as I did for the Cambodian Artists Project at Jacob's Pillow and for the Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell, Massachusetts, where there is a very large Cambodian population. In 1994, I developed and choreographed a story called Strength of Spirit at Connecticut College. The story is, sadly, very appropriate to young Cambodians today in the U.S., as it deals with the problems of peer pressure and substance abuse. My dance presented culture and family as ways to strengthen a young girl's resistance to temptations and forge her own identity. It is hard to find the number of trained Cambodian dancers needed to perform the traditional dance stories or my new pieces. That is why I am eager to teach the next generation of dancers - including my two daughters - who can then become part of a New England Cambodian dance ensemble. I have worked with a videographer to record the essential elements of Cambodian dance: the kbach (postures) which are crucial to the correct portrayal of the central characters in the dance dramas. I can demonstrate these "building blocks" of choreography, then show how they are woven together through movement and expression to create the dance. This video provides young dancers with the best examples of form, so they can practice outside of class, and it documents the thousand-year-old memory of Cambodian dance.”
Person Type(not entered)
Cape Verdean, 1924 - 2005
