Look & Listen: Cambodian Art and Dance of the Divine Serpent

#LookandListen Look & Listen: Cambodian Art and Dance of the Divine Serpent, Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, dancer/choreographer, with curator Emma Natalya Stein Explore the symbolism of the legendary serpent deity, the naga, as it has long been expressed in art across South and Southeast Asia and in Cambodian classical dance. See how the naga is depicted in sculptures, royal adornment, and ritual objects representing the serpent’s many positive roles as a bridge connecting the human and divine worlds. Watch classical Khmer (Cambodian) dance that embodies the aesthetic of the serpent and tells stories of the naga’s actions in the world, accompanied by Khmer court music. Our guides will be dancer and choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro and curator Emma Natalya Stein. Sophiline Cheam Shapiro is founding director of the Khmer Arts Academy and was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (the United States’ highest honor in the traditional arts). She has both studied an