A metaphor for the victory of good over evil. Armed with a crystal ball casting rays of lightning, the goddess of waters Moni mekhala triumphs over the demon Ream Eysaur, whose axe creates thunder.

This popular dance from south-eastern Cambodia is performed at wedding ceremonies. Highly rhythmical and punctuated with shouts and the rapping of coconuts, it expresses joy in life and harmony amongst Cambodians.

This rural entertainment dance is a lesson of love and courtesy. It depicts, while exaggerating them, boys’ and girls’ attitudes to love and courtship. The dance shows a tenacious and mischievous boy courting a shy and earnest young girl.

This ballet was performed at offering ceremonies and palace celebrations in the Angkorian era. The Apsaras, half-women half-goddesses, are heavenly dancers. Their circular movements and poised motions, the litheness of their gestures, symbolise their hovering between the cosmos and Earth.