Daryn Reicherter - The Cambodian Dancer: Sophanys Gift of Hope

The Tuttle Story:

Books to Span the East and West

Many people are surprised to learn that the worlds leading publisher of books on Asia had humble beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The companys founder, Charles E. Tuttle, belonged to a New England family steeped in publishing.

Immediately after WWII, Tuttle served in Tokyo under General Douglas MacArthur and was tasked with reviving the Japanese publishing industry. He later founded the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, which thrives today as one of the worlds leading independent publishers.

Though a westerner, Tuttle was hugely instrumental in bringing a knowledge of Japan and Asia to a world hungry for information about the East. By the time of his death in 1993, Tuttle had published over 6,000 books on Asian culture, history and arta legacy honored by the Japanese emperor with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, the highest tribute Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese.

With a backlist of 1,500 titles, Tuttle Publishing is more active today than at any time in its paststill inspired by Charles Tuttles core mission to publish fine books to span the East and West and provide a greater understanding of each.

Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

www.tuttlepublishing.com

Copyright 2015 by Daryn Reicherter
Illustrations copyright 2015 by Christy Hale

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015940443

ISBN 978-0-8048-4516-8
ISBN 978-1-4629-1769-3 (ebook)

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First edition
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To Ethan and Amelia and to all of Sophanys dancersmay this generation of children grow up together with hope for a brilliant future. D.R.

For my dancer daughter, Kate, and her dancer friends Isabel, Apoorva, and Bella C.H.

Khmer Translation

On pages of this book is a translation of this story into the language of Cambodia, called Khmer (pronounced Ke-MY and, in some parts of the world, Ke-MARE), written in the traditional Indian script that originated thousands of years ago.

AUTHORS NOTE: A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL

The Cambodian Dancer: Sophanys Gift of Hope was inspired by a true story. Sophany Bay really was a dancer in Cambodia. She was one of the best, often performing for huge crowds, even for royalty, just as it says in the story. When she grew up, she taught the dance to little girls.

But then a terrible thing happened. A group of men called the Khmer Rouge pushed their way into power. They abolished arts, culture, education and religion. They destroyed the land and its people. Cambodia became a place of great sorrow and fear.

Sophany lost her family at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Though she was filled with grief she used her courage and her wits to escape from Cambodia to Thailand. After years in a Thai refugee camp, she was accepted as a refugee to the United States of America.

Sophany moved to San Jose, California. She learned English and went to college to study social work. After college she began working as a counselor for Cambodian survivors in America. She became a community leader and an advocate for human rights. She became one of the very few Cambodian American witnesses to testify in 2013 against the Khmer Rouge leaders. Her story helped to convict the leaders of their terrible crimes against the Cambodian people.

In her new life in the United States, Sophany looked for ways to help heal the Cambodian community. She saw that Cambodian children growing up in America did not know the culture of the homeland they had lost. It seemed to her that, even in this new safe land, Cambodian children were growing up in the shadows.

So she remembered the dance that had been forced into hiding. She remembered the joy and energy it had given her. Now, more than ever, she felt that it was important to share the dance with others. She created a program for teaching Khmer dance to children in San Jose. Dancing, and teaching the dance to others, made Sophany come alive again. Learning the dance has helped many children in the Cambodian community step out of the shadows.

Decades later, Sophany is still teaching the dance, and still working with Cambodian families to make their lives better.

She is the most resilient person I have ever known, or ever will know.

Thank you, Sophany!

S ophany was a dancer in Cambodia. She learned the ancient ways of dancing handed down from generation to generation.

She learned how to move her hands and arms.

She learned how to look like the stone reliefs on the walls of the temples.

The dance gave her energy.

When Sophany grew up, she taught the dance to little girls.

She taught them how to move their hands.

She taught them where to put their feet.

She even taught them how to tilt their heads.

The dance gave the little girls energy too.