Apsara – the art of Cambodian royal dance

While discovering the monuments of Angkor in Cambodia, you are likely to be impressed by some carvings of Apsara dancers on the walls of the temples. Apsara Dance is one of the most long-standing traditional artforms in Cambodia which is performed by beautiful and charming women. If you have chance to travel to Siem Reap, you definitely should not ignore these unique performances.

Apsara – the fairy dance of Cambodia
Apsara – the fairy dance of Cambodia

According to Hinduism, Apsara are incredibly beautiful fairies, very charming and outstanding with their elegant gestures as well as great dancing abilities. They are wives of the Gandharva heavenly musicians who usually dance and sing for their gods. Apsara are also maids of Indra – King of the gods as well as the personification of war, thunderstorms, rain and wind. Visit Cambodia with Indochina travel

Apsara - incredibly beautiful fairies
Apsara – incredibly beautiful fairies

Apsara is a classic dance which has long been well-known for its elegance, nobility with gently movements. Apsara dancers have to wear gaudy costumes, weight no less than 10kg and very tight while they are performing slow dance-movements together with the orchestra named “pinpeat”. So far Apsara has been considered as a valuable property and the soul of Cambodia. Through this dance, the Cambodians want to express their wishes about peace, wealth as well as to praise the natural beauty of their country, their gods and the merits of the ancients. Tours in Cambodia

 Carvings of Apsara dancers on the walls of Angkor’s temples
Carvings of Apsara dancers on the walls of Angkor’s temples

There are usually some free Apsara performances on some temples’s balconies in the Pub Street, but the price is you will have to suffer from walking among the super crowd. Although it might be a little bit expensive, performaces in Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor or Paradise Angkor Village Hotel with delicious dinners will be a great experience you should try

The Apsara Terrace at the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
The Apsara Terrace at the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor

Apsara – the art of Cambodian royal dance, the dance that has been recognized as a Intangible Cultural Heritage of the world by UNESCO is the performance that no one can ignore when visit Cambodia, just like people must enjoy the samba in Brazil

Culture lovers.

Read more:

Blog Categories

Article Submission

If you would like to submit an article or a travel story, please contact:

[email protected]

Tripadvisor Reviews

Menu