I love khmer

Apsara Dancer

Shot Notes

Apsara dancing is a major part of Cambodian culture.  I took this in Siem Reap in the summer of 2008 while taking a short-term team to see Angkor Wat.  In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, apsaras are a female spirit of the clouds and water.  There are more than 1,860 unique apsaras carved into the stone of Angkor Wat.  When Angkor Wat was the capital of the Khmer empire, it is said that thousands of these apsara dancers entertained the king, taking their inspiration from the mythological court of the gods where celestial apsaras were said to dance.