In Cambodia, classical dance is the quintessence of the country's identity. An art form that was religious in origin, its traditions date back more than a thousand years to the great Khmer empire. Dancers performed in temples at Angkor and were the living embodiment of those celestial dancers carved on the temple walls. The history of Cambodian dance, the relationship with Siamese costumes, the role of the French in introducing the dancers to the west, the Reamker epic from which many of the dances are drawn and the stories of dancers who survived the dark period in Cambodian history to revive classical dance today are all related in this fascinating and beautifully illustrated book.