Cambodian Dance: Celebration of the Gods [Hardcover]

Denise Heywood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2009

Full history of Cambodian Dance

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: River Books Press Dist A C (February 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9749863402
• ISBN-13: 978-9749863404
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,243,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Denise Heywood is a lecturer, author, journalist and photographer. She has lived in France, America and, most recently, Cambodia, where she worked as a journalist for three years.

Now based in London, she is a lecturer for the National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies (NADFAS), for the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) on their post-graduate Asian Art Course and for Madingley Hall (University of Cambridge). She has lectured all over Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Europe for organisations such as The British Museum, The Art Fund, The Royal Society for Asian Affairs, The National Trust and universities, museums, colleges, schools, art institutions and travel organisations including the Royal Geographical Society.

In addition to her books Ancient Luang Prabang and Cambodian Dance Celebration of the Gods she writes for many art, literary and travel publications, appears on BBC radio, leads art tours to Southeast Asia and France and lectures on cruise ships sailing throughout Asia.

Further information can be found on her website: www.deniseheywood.co.uk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is much appreciated, June 30, 2009

By 

David G. Scouffas "sc_david" (San Carlos, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cambodian Dance: Celebration of the Gods (Hardcover)

Having discovered this dance form some years ago on Ovation TV, I have spent a lot of fruitless hours trying to learn about the origins and meaning of traditional Khmer dance. There have been few or no books available, no performance DVD's that I've been able to find, and precious little on the internet. I have seen a few live performances which were magnificent.

This book is one of two books to have recently come out on this subject. The other is more than $150, so I ordered this one.

This is the kind of resource I've been looking for. The scope of the book is wide, including some Khmer and Cambodian history, the origins and evolution of the dances, the costumes, poses, hand gestures, famous performers, and the involvement of the Cambodian Royal family. The author had access to many of the figures in Cambodian dance today. The breadth of the topics means that the book is really a starting point for understanding this art. If you take the book on that level, it is really well done.

There are a lot of images in the book, some are photos, others are prints and historical representation. There are some great photos of the dancers, their costumes and specific dance positions and poses. Most of the photos are high quality, but there are some that have that high-school-text-book-from-the-60's look, with very grainy texture and bad color reproduction.

I highly recommend this book. It won't give you everything on this rich and complex subject, but it will give you a good grounding. This dance form is very beautiful and worth learning about, but has been under the radar for many people. I hope that this book inspires people to find out about Cambodian dance and to support it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Master Class, June 17, 2010

By 

Greg White - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cambodian Dance: Celebration of the Gods (Hardcover)

I had the pleasure of hearing Denise speak about Cambodia on a ship headed up the Viet Nam coast. She is funny, smart, and captivating in person, and now that I have this book - my first impressions were confirmed. I went to Cambodia after I met her, and my trip was enriched tenfold from having heard and met her. I watched the dances with the benefit of a little inside knowledge. If you are a fan of travel writer Paul Theroux, you will love Denise even more.

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Entertaining, March 29, 2010

By 

Jam-i (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cambodian Dance: Celebration of the Gods (Hardcover)

This book is, simply, a treasure. Denise Heywood knows dance and Cambodia and skillfully weaves together a fascinating picture of a country, and of its people. Classical dance is very much at the heart of the Cambodian identity - perhaps much more so than in modern Western culture.

Heywood looks both to the past and to the future of Dance, providing insights into the impact of politics, economics and a turbulent history on the dance form. Per Martha Graham "Dance ...has been the symbol of the performance of living." The author's account of the survivors and rebirth of Dance post "Killing Fields" is thorough and inspiring.

This in-depth knowledge of traditional dance forms and of Cambodian history and of their interplay makes for compelling reading. The author writes with passion using language that is rich with word pictures, clear, and entertaining. Illustrations are top knotch and plentiful, ranging from "traditional hand gestures" to stiles of Dancing apsara riddled with bullet holes at Angor Wat; shadowpuppets, to modern dance training.

Heywood's look at the Cambodian royal family's profound impact on dance is singular, thanks to her personal connection with figures like HRH Norodom Buppha Devi and her father, the former King Sihanouk. This is a great read and a fascinating book.