Artist Blood: Khon Chansithyka Striving for Khmer Arts

Khon Chansithyka comes from a family of artists, and at 24 years old, he is considered one of the few successful Mask dancers to make it to the international stage.

His father was a part-time musician who worked for the government and his mother was a Lakhoan Bassac artist. His family struggled to make ends meet because his father’s salary was not enough to support a family of five.  He and his younger brother had to share an old bicycle and pack lunch from home.

“We had egg with rice every single day,” Mr. Chansithyka recalled.

After graduating high school in 2011, Mr. Chansithyka decided not to pursue higher education at the Royal University of Fine Arts, and instead took the teaching exam at his former secondary school to run dance classes. Besides teaching, he stepped into entertaining and joined the Amrita Performing Arts, with guidance from close friend and fellow artist Belle.

Back then, he had to juggle a number of different schedules, even having to wear a giant costume to a gas station one time on his way to a performance.

Recalling his very first time performing live in front of an audience, his eyes lit up. “It was very exciting. I was confident and did well because I knew it was the time to unleash my talent and what I’ve learned all those hard years,” he said.

As an aspiring artist, dancer, and brother, Mr. Chansithyka has gone far and been welcomed by many audiences in countries such as Taiwan, the US, Spain, and France.

Besides Khmer dances and performances such as Lakhoan Khoal, Mr. Chansithyka is also a contemporary artist. He has created two contemporary pieces, one recently shown at the Contemporary Dance Platform back in May called ‘Journey’, and one he created last year in May as well which he had shown at a festival in Malaysia.

Mr. Chansithyka was one of 125 Cambodian artists responsible for the art festival ‘Season of Cambodia’ in New York in 2013. Recently, he attended the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in Lyon, France, where he and three other Cambodian artists worked together to recreate a performance of Persephone.

Looking back to the earlier dark years, Mr. Chansithyka said, “It’s been a tremendous journey, and I guess we made the right decision.”

Mr. Chansithyka is currently preparing applications to study at the Royal University of Fine Arts and graduate with a bachelor degree. “Working is great, my family is doing better; however, a degree is definitely also one of my priorities,” he said.

As a Cambodian very much devoted to Khmer arts, Mr. Chansithyka feels hopeful. He sees himself teaching and creating more pieces in the future.

When asked about the audience in Cambodia, he smiled and said, “Things have been becoming better these past few years.”

According to Mr. Chansithyka, the number of people paying for performances has risen. “A few years ago, we danced for free, yet nobody batted an eye and came to watch us,” he said. “Today, younger people are enthusiastic about Khmer arts and have been inviting their parents and elders with them.”

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