Bringing Battambang, Cambodia to Singapore

In the early hours of June 18, 73 Cambodians, a mix of students from the Arrupe Welcoming Centre for the disabled and St Joseph’s Parish Tahen, boarded a plane to Singapore for a two week cultural dance tour. A mixture of excitement and anticipation flowed through the aircraft, as teachers and support staff tried to complete the Singapore immigration documents before landing.  The Battambang Arrupe Tahen Dance Troupe had been invited to Singapore to perform at the CHARIS humanitarian forum on June 22.

Upon arrival the group was met by a large welcoming party from St Joseph’s Institution and ushered into the buses that would take them to their home base for the next two weeks, National Community Leadership Institute.

The troupe’s concert, “Dancing Rice”, was a special element of the CHARIS humanitarian forum held at Singapore Polytechnic.  The performances included traditional Cambodian dances by the troupe, as well as three modern dances performed by Singapore dance troupe, School of Dance.

The Arrupe Centre student dance troupe is made up of landmine survivors, polio victims and two blind students from various parts of the Prefecture of Battambang. Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia, and the Prefecture is 80,430 square km, with 27 parishes. Battambang Province is one of the world’s most landmined area, and even today, there are weekly injuries that occur due to landmines and cluster bombs.

The other half of the dance troupe comprised students from the rural village of Tahen, just outside Battambang in north Western Cambodia.  The Catholic Church has been connected with the village of Tahen for over 100 years, and the students are from poor and disadvantaged families in the area.

The troupe was accompanied by Apostolic Prefect, Msgr Enrique “Kike” Figaredo SJ.  A Spanish Jesuit, Msgr Figaredo SJ, first encountered Cambodians and the challenges they face when he worked with Jesuit Refugee Service in the refugee camps in Thailand in the 1980s.  He was installed Apostolic Prefect of Battambang on July 2, 2000, and established the Arrupe Welcoming Centre for the disabled in Battambang in 2001. 

The troupe also performed in several other venues across Singapore, including the Church of our Lady Queen of Peace and St Joseph’s Church where it performed a liturgical dance, the Our Father dance,  during mass.

One of the special moments of the trip for Cambodian students/performers was being able to join the presbyteral ordination of Adrian Danker SJ on June 29. This was the first time many of the students had attended an ordination. After the Mass, the troupe was invited to perform in the parish hall, where the Crab dance was the crowd favourite.

However the trip was not all dancing and masses. Luckily the haze lifted in time for the group to visit the beach, which was a first for many of the students as Battambang is landlocked, with the closest beach an 8-hour drive away. While at the beach, many of the students flew kites and built sand castles. Pulling them away from the water and back onto the bus was not an easy task. They also went on a city tour, and visited the Singapore Science Centre, the Marina Barrage, the Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, and Little India, and saw the Merlion.  Another highlight for the Cambodian students was the ride on the Singapore Flyer.  The dance troupe also visited the School of Dance studio where the students learned ballet and some modern dance routines. It was an enjoyable experience from both groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The visit ended all too quickly for the students, and on July 2, the group was home. Upon returning, they had a debriefing session during which they were asked what they had learnt and what they had enjoyed. Many of them spoke of the new friends they had made, spending time with the School of Dance troupe, and being able to share their culture with other people.