A Cambodian Boy’s Rise to Ballet, on Film

By Im Sothearith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
24 November 2009

In “Dancing Across Borders,” a new documentary, a dancer tells the camera: “To dance the dance is like fishing in the rice field with other people, because that’s what we do. We fish and we talk with friends and sing. So when I came to the fishing dance, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, we know this.’”

That raw ability for dance, explained by the dancer, Sar Sokvannara (picture), is at the center of the film, which chronicles his attempts to leave Cambodia and enter the world of international ballet.

“Dancing Across Borders” was the result of a brief visit by the filmmaker, Ann Bass, to Angkor Wat in 2000, when she met Sar Sokvannara, who was just 16. His natural charm and grace prompted Bass to wonder how opportunity might sharpen a person’s innate talent.

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