April 29th: World Dance Day
- We celebrate the International Dance Day and send our warm regards to Tango-lovers who dances on each Sunday and Monday night at the Ahirkapı dance-floor of the Armada Hotel for the last twelve years!-
2006 International Dance Day Message
By His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia
(Collage: Luca di Paolo ) Dancing requires neither pen nor paintbrush.
Only one instrument is necessary, the human body.
Every motion is imbued with dance. To move is to dance.
Dance exacts the utmost dedication of body, mind, and soul. Only the truly committed can pursue this demanding path. Such ascetic discipline molds the character as well as the body, and the rewards of such devotion are a hundred-fold. No freedom can approach that obtained by the mastery of the spirit over the body.
To us Khmers, dance in its most elaborate form is a means to draw us closer to the gods. Thus, dance becomes prayer. It becomes an indispensable ritual for the world to move forward, transcending us to the divine and
raising us to supernatural heights.
On International Dance Day, may the dancers of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia intercede for us all. As we dance, may we strengthen everywhere the noble practice of tolerance, so crucial to all of humanity in this year of 2006.
