Khmer New Year: How Phare Kindergarten Celebrated Songkran
Every year in mid-April, Cambodians celebrate the traditional holiday known as Khmer New Year – or Songkran – over the course of three festive days. The holiday is rooted in Buddhist traditions and is an important time for Cambodians to get back together with their...
The Rich Cultural Heritage of Khmer Traditional Dance Taught at Phare Ponleu Selpak
When you think of Cambodia, it’s easy to think about its amazing temples and ancient ruins – especially Angkor Wat – along with its rich cultural heritage. Khmer traditional dance is a key part of Cambodian arts and culture. In fact, the beauty and softness of...
Vanthan’s Story: How a Phare Music Student Rose to National Stardom
LY Vanthan – better known today as just “Vanthan” – is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. You probably know him as the musician behind “Khmer Gentleman,” but did you know that Vanthan is also a graduate of Phare Ponleu Selpak? ...
Tribute to Lokru Bandaul wrote by Kunthary, a supporter of Cambodian Arts
« I am a Cambodian national living in the U.S. since 1979, when I moved to Washington DC and joined the World Bank to work on development globally and more specifically to contribute to the socio-economic development of my homeland. Since I retired in 2013, I have...
Phare Ponleu Selpak grabs 4 gold trophies at the Stevie International Business Awards
After the most difficult year in our history, including the closure of our circuses with disastrous impact on funding, we have triumphed against the odds to win four gold awards at the Stevie International Business Awards (IBAs)! Phare Ponleu Selpak has just been...
Keeping our visual art students’ vocations alive thanks to FinDac & Tribe Gallery
Those who have visited our campus after fall 2019 must remember the iconic « Anapyabal » mural on our circus building, painted by the world-famous Irish urban artist FinDac. After his visit to Battambang and Phare Ponleu Selpak, he made limited edition prints of...![What Worries Us & What Keeps Us Strong? Phare Voices [Part 2]](https://phareps.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Capture-decran-2020-10-02-a-16.19.38.png)
What Worries Us & What Keeps Us Strong? Phare Voices [Part 2]
These are strange times we are living in. Behind the scenes of Phare Ponleu Selpak are slices of life stories, with their ups and downs, but mostly carrying with them the hope of brighter days to come. Listen to Phare voices, round #2! “I knew about Phare since...
COVID-19: What worries us, what keeps us strong? Listen to Phare voices!
Working in times of COVID-19 can be unsettling. Behind the scenes of Phare Ponleu Selpak, our staff and students tell us about their concerns and their strengths. ” What is happening is worse than anything I had expected. All art workshops, shows, outside...
Meet Koemyean, a Phare Visual Art Teacher and Fashion Designer
Koemyean comes from Kor Koh village in Battambang Province. He is 27, he’s a fashion designer, and he teaches graphic design in our Visual and Applied Arts School (VAAS). Not so long ago, he was a student in that very same school: « I enrolled in VAAS in 2013....
Phare 25th Anniversary Fundraising Galas
This year marks an important year for Phare Ponleu Selpak as we are celebrating our 25th anniversary! On this special occasion we organized two fundraising galas, one gala in Cambodia and one in France. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all our supporters in Cambodia...
Meet the European Union Aid Volunteers of Phare Ponleu Selpak
November marks the end of the European Union Aid Volunteers (EUAV) deployment after they have joined Phare team this past year. The volunteers arrived in November, January or June for a duration of six months, nine months, or one year. The 10 volunteers have offered...
A glimpse of FENCE, our latest show imagined by Vienna Theater Der Sprachfelher
A brand new circus show called FENCE has been launched on our Battambang campus! This new performance is the fruit of a collaboration between our Performing Arts School and the Austrian Theater Der Sprachfehler. Its authors Andreas Jaehnert and Christian Kuehne spent...
Phare Ponleu Selpak’s Dance Studio Gets a Much-Needed Upgrade
How did it all start? The Performing Arts School introduced dance to the curriculum at the end of 2013. The lessons began with traditional Cambodian dance and built from there. Advanced classes introduced students to modern influences. The dance program aims at...
Meet Xavier Gobin – Manager of Phare Ponleu Selpak France
Before joining Phare Ponleu Selpak, Xavier Gobin had a successful career as a dancer, collaborating with great creators such as Maurice Béjart and Jiri Kylian. However, very quickly, Gobin felt the desire to give others the same chances he had, of experiencing the...
Roundup of Phare’s 25th Anniversary Summer Events
Every year at Phare Ponleu Selpak, July marks the opportunity to reward the hard work of our graduates, who have been studying for up to 4 years in the Visual and Applied Arts School. We are celebrating the graduates starting a new chapter of their lives and launching...