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Chakto Dance with Cambodian Living Arts
The Chakto Dance project aims to strengthen choreographic writing skills, a key element of the creative process, both for
experienced Cambodian choreographers, who will be able to train young talents in return, and newcomers to the Cambodian contemporary dance
world. Two multi-day training sessions, led by internationally renowned mentors, were thus held during the first quarter of 2025 in Phnom
Penh. The participants are then in a production phase of their own artistic project, before presenting it during a public event that will
close the program.
Cambodian Living Arts was chosen to lead this project from July 2024 to October 2025.
https://www.cambodianlivingarts.org
The mentors
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Fouad Boussouf
Choreographer, dancer and teacher, Fouad Boussouf trained as a hip-hop dancer – his favorite style – but draws inspiration from different forms of dance, particularly contemporary dance. Born in Morocco, Fouad Boussouf settled in France in 1983. His multidisciplinary background and his experience as a performer translate into a resolutely modern approach to choreography and dance, where hip-hop meets and merges with contemporary expression, North African traditional dances and new circus. Difficult to classify, his work fuses these influences and addresses urgent contemporary subjects through his dancers' performances.
Emmanuele Phuon
Talented dancer and choreographer, Emmanuele Phuon began dancing through learning Khmer classical ballet. A graduate of the National Conservatory of Dance of Avignon, she continued her training at the Ballets Jazz Montréal, then in New York at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has danced with prestigious companies such as the Elisa Monte Dance Company, Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project, and with renowned choreographers like Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, and Yvonne Rainer. As a transmitter of the latter's works, she has taught and staged her pieces in various countries. She currently teaches at prestigious universities such as Yale, Montclair State University, and NYU Tisch.
The senior choreographers
Five experienced choreographers and dancers were able to benefit from the first part of the training for senior choreographers, which took
place from February 11 to 16, 2025 with Fouad Boussouf. This training aimed to perfect the participants' choreographic and
writing skills as well as to improve their ability to conceptualize and articulate innovative dance works. The five senior
choreographers were then involved in the selection process of junior choreographers, and will participate in their mentoring until the end
of the program.
Prince Tesso Sisowath, Director of the Princess Buppha Devi Dance School
Chumvan Sodhachivy (Belle), dancer and contemporary choréaographer
Yon Davy, contemporary artists for Amrita Performing Arts
Phorn Pheaktra (BBoy Suicide), hip-hop and contemporary dancer
Khen Vanthy, dancer and contemporary choréaographer
The selected junior choreographers
Ten participants were pre-selected following a call for applications led by Cambodian Living Arts for the second part of the dance training, which took place from March 21 to 23 and from March 28 to 30, 2025. This training, intended for junior choreographers, focused on fundamental knowledge in choreographic writing, supervised by choreographer Emmanuele Phuon. Following this training, five of them were selected by an international jury composed of major figures in the performing arts in Asia:
- Ratri Hapsari Anindyajati, Indonesian independent producer, director of the Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF) and co-founder of Rarara!, an interdisciplinary production company (dance, theater, exhibitions, etc.);
- Sasapin Siriwanij, Thai performing arts producer, exhibition curator and Bangkok-based artist, artistic director of the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM) and co-founder of the Producers of Thai Performing Arts Network (POTPAN);
- Wu Wei We, CEO of the We Art Together foundation, Taiwanese choreographer and artistic director, notably of musicals (Miss Taiwan 2024, Nan Piao, The New Yorker and Musical Taru).
The five participants selected by the jury will receive grants to enable them to develop their project. They will receive, throughout the
creative process, guidance and follow-up by the senior mentors involved in the program, in exchange for their commitment to transform their
choreography with the aim of presenting it to the public in October 2025.
Dy Puthik | Home?
explores the complexity of trauma, love and the healing process through movement and storytelling. This piece traces the story of a young gay adult who confronts his repressed traumas by returning to his place of comfort: his bedroom.
Pum Molyta | Shadow
illustrates the troubled past of a female protagonist who struggles against social rejection, lacking confidence and courage. She must confront the shadows of her past to move from negativity to positivity, in search of the source of love, symbol of a bright future.
Kim Socheat | Relationship
highlights crucial issues within Cambodian society. It tells the true story of an artist with a disability, facing numerous challenges. Through his work, Socheat wishes to denounce the discrimination faced by people with disabilities and the resulting social isolation.
Soy Chanborey | Fine Embroidery
traces the journey of an artist whose life is imbued with creativity, resilience and a deep devotion to the arts. Through movement, Borey tells the story of an artist who takes a path marked by perseverance and passion, and who meets the challenges of sustaining his artistic career.
Vong Vannak | A Barrier
represents a character unable to express their true feelings. What to do when we feel overwhelmed by our problems? Many withdraw into silence, thinking they can keep everything inside. Fear, lack of self-confidence and communication paralyzes us. A question then arises: how to react?
