2nd Annual Create Cambodia: Art Workshops

For our second day, the students had a long day of all kinds of fun art workshops to endure. They started off the morning with a stretch session

The first lesson of the day was with the Apsara Arts Association that taught our students traditional Khmer dance.

All the talented instructors were no older than ten years old. It was a real treat watching them teach our high school students.

It was an even bigger treat watching fellow PCV's participate in the lessons and attempt to dance in the most delicate manner.

The traditional Khmer dance involves very slow and delicate hand movements along with graceful leg raises.

Apsara Arts Association works towards teaching the Cambodian youth traditional Khmer dances to prevent it from becoming a dieing art. After the Khmer Rouge regime, all forms of art such as, music, dance, theater and painting were close to obsolete. Even though it's been more than 30 years since the Khmer Rouge Cambodia is still struggling to bring the arts back into full gear. It may take them a little longer to get there but there many organizations and people who are helping along the way.

Then the students did an art walk where they got to observe other student's art work of portraiture, surreal and abstract, still life and of course lady gaga.

A hands on presentation was given to the students from Epic Arts who taught them how to do sign languages and how to read books for the blind.

Our students were later instructed to do an interactive activity called 'Make It Rain'. They had to make rain sounds by rubbing their hands together, snapping their fingers and then padding their thighs. When they all did it at once it really did sounded like rain. It was really cool!

Our next interactive activity was Emotional Orchestra. The students were divided into four groups: angry, happy, sad and tired. Diana orchestrated the groups to make sounds effects to their designated emotion. When she pointed at one group they would either yell out laughing, crying, grunting or yawning. This was a great activity the practice their theater drama skills.

Then we gave the students a chance to orchestrate their groups.

This was just a fun activity we did with our students where they had to race each other to do a certain pose: the cockroach, flamingo, or ant. What ever name was yelled out the students had to hurry to do a pose, who ever moved last was out of the game.

Having an opportunity to branch out with their drawing skills the students were instructed to do their own version of Van Gogh's Starry, Starry Night but using Cambodian temples as the background.

After the students finished they displayed their art work all around the performance theater center where everyone got to see. Their final products were true pieces of art.