The Fringe awaits Khmer dance

A trip of a lifetime for these members of Ieng Sithul's dance group

These youngsters from Ieng Sithul's Tonle Bassac Folk Dance Group will be making the trip of a lifetime to perform their Children of the Khmer show at the WOMAD Festival in late July and a residency at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland in August, putting on a series of folk and classical dances. The world-renowned fringe festival kicks off on 3 August and will last for most of the month. I saw the group at practice when I visited their rehearsal room located in the Bassac slum area of Phnom Penh in February, and they were very good. The ages of this troupe, mentored by one of Cambodia's best-known artists Ieng Sithul, range between eight and nineteen and total no less than 52 youngsters, out of approximately 300 that receive support from the umbrella organization, Cambodian Living Arts. It was CLA that sent Kong Nai, the blind chapei master, to the UK last year for a countrywide tour with his protege, Ouch Savy that included a gloriously successful appearance at the WOMAD festival in England. I'm sure the Tonle Bassac group will do just as well. Link: CLA.