This evening I was fortunate to witness another spectacular royal ballet performance, thanks to my buddy Rithisal, who had offered me and my family six complimentary tickets. Performed at Chenla today and tomorrow evening, the show is entitled “Preah Anurudh and Preah Neang Ossa” (ព្រះ​អនរុទ្ធ និង ព្រះនាង​ឳស្សា). It is a brand new production choreographed by Ms. Pen Sok Huon, Director of the Dance School of the Secondary School of Fine Arts, and produced by Amrita Performing Arts. The story is about Preah Anurodh of the Kingdom of Norangka, who was visiting the forest and saw angels playing in a pond there. Attracted by their incredible beauty, Preah Anorudh and his soldiers went after them and made them scarily run away. The soldiers kept chasing and left th behind. Lost and exhausted, Prince Anurudh later fell asleep under a tree. The spiritual protector of the tree predicted Prince Anurudh was fated to be the lover of Preah Neang Ossa, the daughter of the Demon, and so delivered him to Ossa’s chamber. Not seeing their prince, the soldiers then reported his disappearance to Preah Chakrith, his grandfather. Preah Chakrith was devastated. He ordered a garuda to fly him to the Kingdom of the Demons - where Anurudh and Ossa had now been in love and slept together. Preah Neang Ossa’s brother, Tuosamook came to Ossa’s room to find them sleeping together. He was furious. He brought the news to his father, the King of the Demons, who ordered his soldiers to arrest and tie Anurudh to the tower of his temple. Preah Chakrith arrived to find Preah Neang Ossa crying bitterly. Ossa then proceeded to recount what had transpired, after which Preah Chakrith casted a magic spell to release Preah Anurudh and dispatched the couple back to their kingdom. Since pictures paint a thousand words, I’ll let them do justice for the show. You’ll love it, I guarantee!! That said, I just wanna mention it again that there remains another performance at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday.) Let’s support Khmer performing arts and help make it forever alive!!