ABSTRACT
Watching a dance performance in the Asia-Pacific region can involve a complex of threads and pathways into cultural traditions and heritages. Historically, dance has had an important function as a continuum that expresses and celebrates the rituals of life and death and contact with the spiritual world. There are many commonalities between Oriental and Occidental contemporary dance. Intense dance training underpins explorations into contemporary dance anywhere in the world. The philosophy of contemporary dance changed, leading to an explosion of creative ideas and synergies within the genre. Western contemporary dance forms typically encourage flow between movements and emphasize the transitions between moments. The platform for dance in the Asia–Pacific region is vast, ranging from performances in densely populated global cities to small villages and communities. Cambodian contemporary dance artists are an important part of the dynamism of the region — the developments over next few years will be anticipated and welcomed into the canon of new dance of the millennium.
