The streets are alive

What do jasmine flowers, a vampire movie, current affairs and a blindfold have in common? They are all tools belonging to Belle Sodhachivy Chumvan, Cambodian choreographer and dancer of international repute. She is one of the protagonists of La Rue Danse, organised by the French Institute: an outdoor dance spectacle that, on March 8, will burst into life on Koh Pich.

Twenty choreographers and dancers will perform to different kinds of music: expect everything from classical to hip hop to circus to rock. Visitors can roam between eight outdoor stages for a night in full motion. “There will be a general movement all around the garden, creating a very dynamic and fresh ambient,” says Olivier Planchon, deputy director of the Institute.

Belle, who will perform her own choreography, says inspiration can come at any moment. “Contemporary dance is very connected to our daily life,” Belle says. “I can be inspired by news, by a passer-by or by a detail of a movie. For example, I remember taking inspiration from the smoothed movement of an axe, manipulated by a character before killing a vampire.”

A graduate of the Royal University of Fine Arts, Belle’s beginnings were in classical dance but her creations represent several styles wrapped up in a very personal and innovative way. “It’s a continuous research and experimentation,” she says. “Usually, my performances are based on two themes: one is connected to Cambodian contemporary background and the other is about my personal feelings.”

The choreographer, who will also perform at the prestigious Opera de Paris next spring, is swift to point out that in order to be a good dancer you have to be also an actress, getting into the part and communicating feelings. Belle’s mother, who is her greatest fan but also her harshest critic, taught her something she would never forget. “At the beginning, I thought that dance was all about movement and technique but she is the one who told me: ‘Belle, if you dance only with your body you look like a puppet. You need to have feelings which guide your movements. Everything starts from here…’” Belle says, motioning to her heart.

And while concentration may be the most important thing to achieve before stepping on stage, Belle says she never performs without her special propitiatory ritual. “As dancers, we usually buy three different kinds of fruit, jasmines and candles as offerings before a show. When we perform we can feel the protective presence of the spirit on top of us. I know that there is no better master than us to feel confident on stage, but it’s good to have an extra assurance.”

Indeed it is. After all, dance is a very physical art form – and can, on occasion, prove dangerous. Pointing to a scar on her lip, the result of a performance in which she was blindfolded, Belle laughs, recalling having to return to the stage with a black eye: “I remember my boss saying: ‘Oh god, she looks like a boxing dancer!”

WHO: Belle Sodhachivy Chumvan et al
WHAT: La Rue Danse performance
WHERE: Koh Pich (Diamond Island)
WHEN: 7pm March 8
WHY: “Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free” – Rumi