Earth in Flower – Complete history and analysis of Cambodian dance

Summary:

Author (s):: Paul Cravath (Author),
Kent Davis (Editor)
Release:: 2014
Category:: Books
Order a Copy:: From Amazon →

Earth in Flower – Complete history and analysis of Cambodian dance: Cambodian dancers, royal ballet, dance ritual, Siamese and Thai dance, Ramayana, dance costumes, staging, training, music, etc.

Mystical Origins
Since the dawn of recorded history, Khmer royalty nurtured a dance style unique to their Asian kingdom, yet instantly recognizable throughout the world. Spiritually, the graceful dancers embody the essence and strength of the Khmer race.

Analysis of a Hidden Art
Earth in Flower thoroughly covers choreography, musicology, costuming and stagecraft. The surprise is learning how these women profoundly affected Asian history for a millennium, as living goddesses, priestesses, queens, concubines, hostages and diplomats.

Extraordinary Access
A twist of fate gave the author rare access to the formerly sequestered troupe of royal dancers, teachers, theater and archives. Earth in Flower offers new insights into this beautiful art, its long-hidden history, and how the dancers balance the Khmer relationship between heaven and earth.

Dr. Paul Cravath is a scholar, teacher, actor and theatre director with extensive Asian research experience. He based his book, Earth in Flower, on primary research in Cambodia and Thailand, and ten years of archival research in the US. Cravath is now Professor of Theatre at the University of Hawaii-LCC..

In 1970, a military coup deposed King Sihanouk and seized control of the royal dancers. Surrounded by war, scholars sought to document this cultural treasure by engaging researcher Paul Cravath. He arrived as a circle of war gripped the capital city, becoming one of the only Westerners in history to gain firsthand access to the dancers.

In April 1975 Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, initiating one of the worst genocides in human history. Cravath escaped Phnom Penh only ten days earlier, with his research intact. The archives he accessed were destroyed. Most of the dancers perished in the Killing Fields Earth in Flower is his historic account of their Cambodian legacy.

Press Releases

Literary Awards Welcome Release of Lost History of Royal Cambodian Dance
6/19/2008. PDF, Online
Earth in Flower: Lost History of Cambodian Dance Featured on Publishers Weekly Cover
2/29/2008. PDF, Online
Earth in Flower: Lost History of Cambodian Royal Dancers Reappears
2/21/2008. PDF, Online

Media Features

Luther College scholar preserves Cambodian dance history
Royal Cambodian Dance Presentation by Chatfield Author Paul Cravath
Cambodian dance blossoms in Earth in Flower
Minnesota Native Documents Cambodian Dance
Publisher’s Weekly Cover

Reviews

Asian Theater Journal
By Toni Shapiro-Phim, Spring 2009
Cambodia’s Lost Dance Troupe (pdf)
By Alex Salkever, Spring 2008
Mensa Bulletin (pdf)
By Tom Elliott, June 2008

Resources

Book details, author bio, and table of contents (pdf)
Table of contents (pdf)
Complete bibliography and index (pdf)
Book cover image