Sacred Dancers of Angkor to Bless Cambodia Town

LONG BEACH POST

The Sacred Dancers of Angkor, hailed by the King of Cambodia as “highly talented and spiritual,” arrived at their final U.S. tour destination of Long Beach and will perform a special Cambodia Town Blessing Ceremony and Buong Suong on October 20.

The troupe was welcomed at the Long Beach Airport by Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews, airport personnel and administrators, Long Beach Transit, and Cambodia Town, Inc.

“This is a great honor for Long Beach and we are so blessed to have these young individuals in our City to share their blessings,” Andrews said in a statement.

The Sunday blessing ceremony at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library from 8:30AM to 10AM will be held to bring good fortune to Cambodia Town's residents and business owners.

The Sacred Dancers of Angkor will bless the length of Anaheim Street with a sacred walk, followed by dance rituals honoring ancestors with the local Cambodian American community.

With 30 dancers and musicians, aged between 12 and 19 years, the Sacred Dancers of Angkor specializes in dances such as the Buong Suong, a ceremony of propitiation, or to appease the gods. The troupe, viewed theologically as pure in body, is the only troupe in Cambodia trained in meditation and dance.

Touring the U.S. for the very first time, the Sacred Dancer of Angkor has already performed in Boston, New York City and Washington DC before reaching their final destination in Long Beach.

The troupe is schedule to give various performances throughout October: Buong Suong ceremonies at the Los Angeles Venue TBC on October 12 and 15; a visit and workshop at the Los Angeles Ballet School on October 17; and fundraiser performances at Cal State Long Beach on October 19 and Colburn School Zipper Hall on October 21.