June 8, 2010
A recent cross-cultural collaboration by Sara Narva and Jess Mausner, a recent Cambodian Living Arts intern, and their students — in Philadelphia and Cambodia.
Philadelphia, PA - When Crefeld dance/theater teacher Sara Narva learned that a colleague was headed to Cambodia to work with youth, she thought that maybe there could be a future collaboration in store for Crefeld students.
It turned out to be even better than she imagined, as her colleague, working with the Cambodian Living Arts program, soon sought out partner schools and students in the U.S. to whom her Cambodian students could teach a traditional dance.
Thus, students in Sara Narva’s dance classes became involved in the Rebam Bopah Logkei (Flower Earth Dance) project.
Thanks to the Internet and YouTube, Crefeld students were able to watch training videos created by their counterparts in Cambodia. In return, the Crefeld students taped their own learning process and rehearsals of the Flower Earth Dance and shared it with their newly found friends across the globe.
Last Thursday, at Crefeld’s annual Spring Arts Show (showcasing the culminating work of Crefeld students taking an arts class), the dance was performed by students Annie Berardino, Ishara Serrette, Tom Jones and Rebecca Livingston, to thunderous applause. The dancers then showed video clips of the Cambodian students teaching particular finger, hand and arm gestures and invited Crefeld audience members to try them, as well.
It was much harder than it looked; proving that all of the time and effort the Crefeld dance students put into learning the dance was well worth it: they performed the piece flawlessly.
Watch the videos yourself at: www.youtube.com/user/CLAtraining