Phare, a Cambodian circus, is conducting its first US tour, after traveling across Europe and Asia for the last decade.
The tour came as a surprise, but “an honor and privilege,” when Phare was invited to perform at the Ringling International Arts Festival, says Huot Dara, Phare’s chief executive.
“We hope to share the positive energy of our young performers with the audience in America,” he said.
Pin Phunam, an acrobat with the circus, said Phare has an outstanding performance, called “Khmer Metal,” that has been popular in many places, Cambodia included. “I hope our performance will impress a lot of people here,” she said. “But I also look forward to receiving feedback to improve it.”
Phare will also organize workshops with its performers in Cambodian American communities, “to connect the young people in Cambodia with young people here, sharing our hope and energy with them,” Huot Dara said.
The seven-week performance, which began in Long Beach, California, this weekend, will travel from California to Sarasota, Florida, Oct. 15, for the Ringling International Arts Festival, then to Virginia and Washington Nov. 2.
