APSARA

Female character of classical Khmer ballet, the “Neang” are often called – for short – the Apsara.

The Apsara - in Sanskrit: "She who slides on the water" - are celestial nymphs, born during the great battle of "Churning of the sea of ​​milk" (a cosmological myth of Hinduism) between the gods and the demons to obtain the liquor of immortality.

As messengers of peace, the Apsara often used their dances and beauty to seduce or trap those who threatened the peace or power of the king of the gods. The power of the Apsara over men was incomparable, both mortals and deities could not resist the charms of the “celestial dancers”. Javayarman VII, the most famous Khmer king of the Angkorian period (12th century) would have had more than three thousand in his service...

Before beginning their dance, the captivating Apsara dancers adopt the frozen positions of Khmer temple sculptures. Subsequently, each of their movements, more than 4000 of which are precisely codified, must recall the celestial nymphs, and each gesture, each variation, must maintain the appearance of bodies floating in the air.