Activism, Art, Community Building, Dance, Economic Justice, Education, Entrepreneurship, Inclusion, Philanthropy, Stewardship and restoration, Youth Development
2011
Cambodia
The organization is dedicated to preserving and innovating Khmer classical dance through various projects and initiatives. They have created Cambodia's first gay dance company, which has been revolutionary in the dance troupe scene in Cambodia. The organization's founder, Prumsodun Ok, is a cross-disciplinary thinker and creator who has received recognition and awards for his work in art and education. The organization's work includes retelling sacred dramas through interviews, essays, photographs, and illustrations to explore the evolution of Khmer classical dance tradition. Their efforts have been focused on nurturing talent, providing opportunities, and creating a platform for LGBTQ individuals to be seen and heard. Through performances and collaborations, they have inspired and empowered many individuals, especially youth, in Cambodia and the United States. The organization's work reflects a commitment to social change, equity, and the transformation of systems and cultures to create a more harmonious and prosperous world. // In 2015, I relocated to Cambodia and founded Prumsodun Ok & NATYARASA, the country's first gay dance company. Spearheading activism at the intersections of art, education, youth development, economic justice, community building, and social entrepreneurship, I transformed an invisible and vulnerable group of young men into "Radical Beauty" (The Bangkok Post, Thailand), into "one of the most revolutionary dance troupes in Cambodia . . . a dance troupe like no other" (Channel NewsAsia, Singapore). As Khmer gay men—one gesture, one dance, one student at a time—we fought two histories of erasure, loss, and genocide, creating narrative and culture change that redefined the possibilities of being youth, Khmer, and LGBTQ. We became a fresh beacon of hope in Cambodia, the diaspora, and throughout the world.
In 2023, I decided to close the company. First, giving space for my students to rise in their own rights as artists, teachers, producers, and leaders, I wanted to teach one last lesson: the challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities of independence and freedom. Secondly, as I got older and transitioned off the stage, I wanted to amplify the scale, scope, speed, and breadth of my changemaking. How to apply my strategy, program design, and leadership skills honed through years of serving the tradition and motherland beyond disciplines, cultures, communities, and sectors?
I've learned many things during my time in Cambodia, but one of the most important is: If I want to nurture artists who perform with pride, dignity, and independence, I have to give them the resources to live that way. In short, our company was successful because my students were given resources that they otherwise would not have access to. How then, to move power and resources to those who need it most? To those with the potential to initiate powerful, deep and lasting change? As such, I am now focused on philanthropy, researching its strategies, initiatives, and trends while developing my topical knowledge on issues close to my heart such as refugee and migrant issues, the intersections of youth poverty, single-parent homes, and the cost of living crisis, as well as social and geopolitical conflicts caused by climate change.
I have no idea where in the world I will end up. However, I am now in the process of founding my own public foundation—of which the holistic eradication of poverty is the primary goal, by empowering people with the support, opportunities, and relationships needed to thrive. And through this, I want to cultivate a culture of giving that fosters authentic human connections that build trust and collaboration, countering the global market economy which stresses extractivism and transactionalism which has led to our loneliness epidemic, deteriorated civil dialogue, and environmental destruction. // Prumsodun Ok is a cross-disciplinary thinker and creator known for his groundbreaking work in preserving and innovating Khmer classical dance. As the founder of Cambodia's first gay dance company, he has been a pioneer in the dance troupe scene, focusing on nurturing talent and providing opportunities for LGBTQ individuals. Through his organization, Prumsodun Ok has retold sacred dramas, exploring the evolution of Khmer classical dance tradition through various projects and initiatives. His work reflects a commitment to social change, equity, and the empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly youth. Prumsodun Ok's efforts have inspired and empowered many individuals in Cambodia and the United States, showcasing the transformative power of art and education in creating a more harmonious world. // Interdisciplinary artist // Prumsodun Ok is guided by love. He works to positively transform our world through his practice as an artist, teacher, writer, and maker of things. His interdisciplinary performances contemplate René Daumal’s expression of “the avant-garde in antiquity,” mining the tradition of Khmer classical dance to explore the intersection of contemporary social issues with new possibilities for performance. His original works have been performed at REDCAT, Highways, CounterPULSE, KUNST-STOFF arts/fest, Pieter, CSULB University Art Museum, Teatro Benito Juarez in Mexico City, and at a joint conference hosted by the Society of Dance History Scholars and the Congress on Research in Dance.<p>
Beyond his creative practice, Prum has directed and produced the SFAI Asian Performance Series in San Francisco and curated programs for INTERCITY (Phnom Penh), Anatomy Riot (Los Angeles), and Children of Refugees (Long Beach). He has been a featured speaker at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference (APAP), UCLA, TED, as well as NYU as part of Season of Cambodia. Prum’s writings have been published by Salon.com, In Dance Magazine, and featured by the California Dance Network. In March 2013, he published his first book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moni-Mekhala-Ream-Eyso-Prumsodun/dp/1479388475" target="blank">Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso</a>. Featuring contributions from visual artist Brian Mendez, cultural anthropologist Toni Shapiro-Phim, and choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, the book retells the sacred drama of the same name to explore cycles of love and violence, the contemporary struggles of today’s women, and the passage of knowledge and leadership within a tradition nearly destroyed by genocide.<p>
Prum is the recipient of honors, grants, and fellowships from TED, APAP, CHIME, Durfee Foundation, Center for Cultural Innovation, and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA), and Network of Ensemble Theaters among others. He is currently Associate Artistic Director of Khmer Arts, a transnational organization at the forefront of Khmer dance practice. Since his tenure, Prum has invigorated the organization by directing and producing the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/88851422@N02/sets/72157631801156081/" target="blank">Khmer Arts 10-Year Anniversary Celebration at the Long Beach Museum of Art</a>, installing a large-scale painting by visual artist Sayon Syprasoeuth into its Cambodia Town studio, directing the organization’s statewide Salon Series, and initiating a residency program for Southern California artists of all performance disciplines. Prum is also the youngest member of ACTA’s Board of Directors.<p>
Last, and certainly not least, Prum is forever thankful to the many teachers and mentors whom have graced his life: dancers Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, Penh Yom, and Oguri; vanguard composer Charles Boone; filmmakers Ernie Gehr, Brook Hinton, Jeanne Liotta, and George Kuchar; opera director Peter Sellars; and scholars David Gere and Anurima Banerji.
// Prumsodun Ok pioneers strategy and program design for art, education, and philanthropy. Integrating the rigor of traditional master-apprentice training with ideas and approaches from youth development and community health, Ok founded Cambodia’s first gay dance company, which grew into “one of the most revolutionary dance troupes in Cambodia” (Channel NewsAsia, Singapore). Embodying justice in movement, his students and groundbreaking original works have been celebrated as "Radical Beauty" (The Bangkok Post, Thailand).
Ok is a cross-disciplinary thinker, innovative creator, and master meaning-maker who has inspired narrative and culture change through talks at TED and Dance/USA, in academic publications throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States, and on major media outlets such as BBC (United Kingdom), PBS (United States), AFP (France), Asahi Shimbun (Japan), and South China Morning Post (Hong Kong). He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from TED, Hewlett Foundation, Dance/USA, Creative Capital, New England Foundation for the Arts, MAP Fund, and Surdna Foundation, and was honored with the Monette-Horwitz Trust Award and named an LGBT+ Creative Leader of Tomorrow by The Dots and WeTransfer.
With a depth of experience and ingenuity in activism, social entrepreneurship, and community development, Ok is at the forefront of holistic changemaking. An expert networked into and working across multiple sectors, he has adjudicated applications for TED Fellows and Durfee Foundation, convened with culture bearers to shape the Center for Cultural Power’s $23 million Constellations Culture Change Fund, and served on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and on the Advisory Committee of Los Angeles County's Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative. Currently, he serves on the Executive Committee of ខ្ញុំទទួលយក - I ACCEPT, Cambodia’s marriage equality campaign, and provides pro bono consultancy to Shogakuin Temple (Japan), agribusiness Thaung Enterprise (Cambodia), and music education organization Southern California Marimba (United States).
Ok is committed to eradicating cycles of fear, poverty, violence, and voicelessness. He is invested in art and education for social change, the thriving of refugee, diasporic, and under-resourced youths and families, rightful access to and collective stewardship of nature, and the transformation of systems and cultures to create equity, harmony, peace, progress, and prosperity. As such, Ok seeks to bridge latent power and resources with high-impact vision and action, shaping a world where everyone may realize and offer the highest, fullest expressions of their joys, successes, and lives. // For more than 1,000 years, Khmer dancers in Cambodia have been seen as living bridges between heaven and earth. In this graceful dance-talk hybrid, artist Prumsodun Ok -- founder of Cambodia's first all-male and gay-identified dance company -- details the rich history of Khmer classical dance and its current revival, playing the ancient and ageless role of artist as messenger. // Prumsodun Ok is a cross-disciplinary thinker and creator known for his groundbreaking work in preserving and innovating Khmer classical dance. As the founder of Cambodia's first gay dance company, he has been a pioneer in the dance troupe scene, focusing on nurturing talent and providing opportunities for LGBTQ individuals. Through his organization, Prumsodun Ok has retold sacred dramas, exploring the evolution of Khmer classical dance tradition through various projects and initiatives. His work reflects a commitment to social change, equity, and the empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly youth. Prumsodun Ok's efforts have inspired and empowered many individuals in Cambodia and the United States, showcasing the transformative power of art and education in creating a more harmonious world. // Interdisciplinary artist // violence, youth development, education, entrepreneurship, led, job skills training, art, research, inclusion, activism, climate, design, refugees, women, stewardship and restoration, mining, migration, dance, youth, economic justice, community building, community development, philanthropy, teachers, campaigns, children, strategy, nature, poverty, vulnerability, equality, restoration, justice // Tokyo|San Francisco|USA|Japan|California|Cambodia|Phnom Penh
Tokyo|San Francisco|USA|Japan|California|Cambodia|Phnom Penh
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