''Yike'' ( km, យីកេ, pronounced ) is a prominent form of Cambodian musical theater, along with Bassac theater and Niyeai. "Lakhon Yike" (Khmer:ល្ខោន យីកេ, literally Yike theater) incorporates singing and dancing and "an ensemble of both traditional and modern instruments." ''Yike'' is believed to originate from

Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...

, and was imported to Cambodia in the

Funan Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...

period. ''Yike'' is performed in nearly every province of Cambodia and by the

Khmer Krom The ''Khmer Krom'' ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរក្រោម, , , lit. 'Lower Khmers' or 'Southern Khmers'; vi, người Khơ-me Crộm, người Khmer Nam Bộ, người Khmer Việt Nam, người Việt gốc Miên (used before 19 ...

communities in southern Vietnam. The

use the term ''yike'', similar to the rest of the Khmer communities, and the term, ''yuke'', which is used to refer to the dance theatre also known as Lakhon Bassac.

Performances

Performances of the ''yike'' are often commenced with a dance performance called ''robam yike hom rong,'' which is used for

invocation An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of: *Supplication, prayer or spell. *A form of possession. *Command or conjuration. *Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms are ...

. For most of the performance, a dancing style similar to '' rom kbach'' is lightly incorporated. The stories are often of various

Jatakas The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is ...

or tales of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

's life. Performances of the story of

Tum Teav ''Tum Teav'' ( km, ទុំទាវ ; meaning "Tum and Teav") is a mid-19th century Cambodian romantic tragedy folk tale. It is originally based on a poem and is considered the "Cambodian Romeo and Juliet" and has been a compulsory part of the ...

in the yike are also common. It is performed in a circle so viewers could see it from every angle. The performances gained popularity with Cambodian farmers, thus it have changed over time into a theatrical art form to promote the teachings of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and Brahmanism. In a Yike drama, the skor mei (the largest of the yike drum family) starts and ends the music. There may be from 2 to 13 drums in the ensemble. The largest skor mei drum plays first, as others gradually join. Finally, the instruments fall away until only the skor mei is playing.

References

{{reflist
Abstract: Part 1: The Khmers and Cham, Historical Background and Main Artistic and Cultural Characteristics
''Institute of Khmer Traditional Textile''

''Cambodia Daily'', February 26–27, 2005

External links

First 18 minutes of a yike theater production. Includes the dancing introduction and example of the acting.First 6 minutes of a yike theater production. Camera cuts in and out to show singers, drummers, dancers and fiddler. Music starts at 50 seconds.
Performing arts in Cambodia Cambodian dances

Performances

See also

References

External links