Cambodian ‘fairy dancer’ wins hearts for rejecting film fame to promote country’s culture on global stage

Sokea Kimleang trained hard to get where she is today, and she has no intention of quitting. Photo: tnaot.com

• She masters intricate moves of nation's mesmerising hand-gesture dance
• Says Cambodia must conserve culture, teach the young value of tradition

A Cambodian classical dancer and influencer has shunned the glitzy world of acting and beauty contests to captivate international audiences with performances of the country's traditional Apsara dance.

Sokea Kimleang, who is also known as Kon Ant, was born in the country's capital, Phnom Penh, and grew up learning the traditional dance. She has spent her adult life promoting Khmer culture.

The Apsara originated in the country's royal courts and is enjoyed for its exquisitely costumed dancers who incorporate mesmerising hand movements into the routines.

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Meaning water nymph or celestial spirit, the Aspara's 1,500 hand and finger gestures and the dancers' intricate, slow, and elegant moves, are said to represent goddesses floating in clouds, descending from Heaven.

Kimleang, 24, underwent a decade of rigorous training to master her art.

She graduated from Cambodia's Secondary School of Fine Art, where she learned the traditional Khmer dance, before completing a Bachelor's degree in Business Management at the National University of Management.

The dancer rose to international fame after appearing at the Khmer New Year Welcome performance during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games hosted by Cambodia last year.

In September last year, she performed the Aspara dance in the tranquil snowscape of New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook.

Despite having no time to rehearse, and only having a 15-minute slot to perform because of a tight schedule dictated by the remote and rugged location, the performance got 23,000 likes and 8,200 reposts on Facebook.

She has also performed in Japan, Thailand, France, Germany, and China many times, according to Cambodian media outlet Kiripost.

Kimleang has also been promoting traditional Khmer culture on social media, amassing 133,000 followers on Instagram.

She recently posted a video in which she was trying on traditional Cambodian makeup on TikTok.

Speculation about Kimleang taking part in Cambodian beauty contests has been circulating online for years, but media reports say she will not enter one. She also refuses to appear in films.

"I am concerned that appearing in films and beauty contests might be seen as sexual and could damage my reputation," she said.

Kimleang is adamant she wants to focus on promoting Khmer culture, bringing smiles to her fellow citizens, and captivating international audiences.

She also expressed the need for people to preserve Cambodian culture and encouraged the young to learn traditional arts.

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