Cambodian dance tranforms Kong into an ambassador
Kong took up Cambodian classical dancing in high school, seizing an opportunity to perform this dance that in Cambodia, was limited to the upper classes. The dance was a way for her and others to show off Cambodian culture for Americans.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Ran Kong, November 25, 2000. Interview K-0269. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- BARBARA LAU:
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Now, when you were in high school, I think you also did a little bit
more dancing.
- RAN KONG:
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Yes.
- BARBARA LAU:
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And so maybe you could talk a little bit about what you did, what you
learned. Why was that important in shaping who you are?
- RAN KONG:
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In high school? Let's see, the dancing, when we first
started, like I said, it was just kind of, this is fun. This is
something that not many other people can do, so it's
something really special that I want to hold onto. But then I got older,
and it was just like, wow, you know. And this type of
dancing—
- BARBARA LAU:
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Can you say what kind of dancing it is, and describe it?
- RAN KONG:
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Cambodian classical dancing and Cambodian folk dancing. Not even so much
as what each dance meant, like the meanings of each dance, but why it is
that we danced it. Just like I said, like the monk,
Phramaha Somsak was like, I want this for you all. It's not
for me. I don't get anything out of dancing. He
doesn't get anything out of the dance group. It's
for the kids. He wants us to learn. I've heard him say that
to us a couple of times, that you know, this is your culture, this is
your history, you need to keep it alive. Just in terms of people in
Cambodia, before the whole incident with the Khmer Rouge, never saw this
type of dancing. It was only reserved for the king, and diplomats or
whatever. So people like my family would have never been able to see
this type of dancing, classical dancing, to be specific. And so now we
not only get a chance to see it, we get a chance to learn it. And so
take advantage of the opportunity. So that was what we did we took
advantage of the opportunity. I guess in a way my father and the monk,
true, whenever he introduced us, I listened, and I remember the monk
saying specifically, these people are refugees from Cambodia. This is
what happened. So we come to America, and we have nothing. I mean,
I'm sure there are many Americans out there who are,
they're a burden to society in a way because some of us live
on welfare, some of us live on food stamps. And overall, I think some
people have a really negative image of refugees, and immigrants in
general, that they take the wealth out of society or whatever. We have
to support them, in a way. And so you know, coming from all of that, the
monk is like, this is— we carry nothing with us from
Cambodia, in a sense. All that we have is ourselves and our culture. And
what can we give back to America in a way? What can we show like
Americans about us? Like try to teach that we're more than
just refugees, or that we're more than just immigrants. That
we have more than just the Khmer Rouge to make
us important in this world. So we have this beautiful art form. And we
want to share it with you. So, here it is, you know. And
who's doing it? It's the young people.
It's this generation. And they're going to pass it
on to the next generation. And so in a way, it was important to me that
he said those words. Now that I look back on it, I'm really
glad that he said those things, because it's all true. We
come here, and some people view us in a negative way. At the same time,
you're like, well, why am I here? Is it true like what they
say about me? Am I really not welcome here? What can I give back? What
can I do to establish myself as an individual, as a group of people, not
just some people that came from this little country on the map that
nobody can even point out. This is what we have, and guess what,
Americans don't have it. So you know, here it is. Enjoy it.
- BARBARA LAU:
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How did dancing make you feel about yourself?
- RAN KONG:
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It made me feel good. It's hard getting up before a group of
people and doing something that's so different. Because
sometimes you're doing a performance, and you see someone get
up and leave. And you're like, oh, it must be boring, or they
don't enjoy it. They're like, what is that going
on up there? What are they doing? But then afterwards, you know, when
people come up and tell you, that was really amazing what you did, and
that was just really beautiful, it just makes you feel so good that
you're making somebody else happy simply because of what you
love to do yourself.