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Flower Dance (ផ្ការាំ)

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xtra flowers.png
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Over the years, I have been lucky enough to meet musicians from all over the world and witness the power of music to connect people across borders, languages and generations. One of these musicians is singer Yorn Young, who taught me this Cambodian folk song dedicated to the dance of the flowers floating in a lake. We invite you to sing and dance along!

See full lyric video playlist on YouTube

Learn

Learn some basic Cambodian hand motions for the Flower Dance with Yorn Young & dance along! Can you create or discover other dances that represent nature? Teach us!

A Music Video!

By Andrew Benincasa

See full music video playlist on YouTube

Lyrics

traditional, English verse by Elena Moon Park

(download)

O Sakava, euy pkha trokoun

  pkha euy lek khloun, phka euy lek khloun

knong beng saen changay

O Sakava, euy pkha saray

pkha doh reay pay, pkha doh reay pay

leuy phtey tik thla.

Oh in the winter

Roots are growing and growing and searching for a home

and in the springtime

leaves are blooming and blooming where the sunlight will roam

Oh with the flowers, we dance along!

O Sakava, euy pkha champa

phka laor malehna, phka laor malehna

doh kbaer cheung phnom

O Sakava, euy pkha maroom

phka rik chamm khmoum, phka rik chamm khmoum

mok kreb lom ang. 

And in the evening

Children dancing and prancing and jumping high and low

under the moonlight

we will tell each other stories as the seasons come and go

Oh when the flowers dance, we sing along!

(Loose translation)

O Sakarava, the hybrid flowers

have lower themselves very far in the lake,

O Sakarava, the algae flowers

have grown everywhere in the clear water

O Sakarava, the champa flowers

have grown near the foot of the mountain

O Sakarava, the mother flowers

are blooming for bees to pollen

Musicians

Yorn Young, vocals

Sam Vatanak, roneat

Hin Soth, flute

Nam Sothea, tro ou

Yoshi Waki, upright bass

David Cossin, drums, shakers

John Foti, harmonies

Elena Moon Park, violins, vocals

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