Robam Moni Mekhala

Robam Moni Mekhala ( Khmer: របាំមណីមេខលា, Moni Mekhala Dance) sometimes known as Robam Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso (Khmer: របាំមណីមេខលា និង រាមឥសូរ) is a traditional Cambodian dance. It is a rain dance that explores the Cambodian myth of thunder, lightning, and rain associated with Buddhist mythology. Most of the time, this dance depicts the fight between Reamesor and Moni Mekhala where Reamesor (Ramasura/ Parashurama) or Ream Eyso attempts to seize the magical crystal ball from Moni Mekhala and this fighting creates a storm.

Overview

An early record of dance ( Khmer: ''robam/ rabam'') is from the 7th century, where the performance was used as a funeral rite for kings. During the Angkor period, dance was ritually performed at temples. The story of Moni Mekhala and Reamesor appears frequently in ritual and Cambodian classical dance. This dance is commonly performed at the New Year's ''buong suong'' (propitiation) ritual, marking the beginning of the spring planting cycle.

Story

The dance narrates the Cambodian myth of rain, thunder, and lightning, which is created from the fight between the strong ugly demon male, Ream Eyso (wearing a long-sleeved shirt), and the beautiful female goddess, Moni Mekhala (wearing a short-sleeved shirt), for the control of the magical crystal ball owned by Moni Mekhala.

According to Cambodian legend, a princely manifestation of the earth, Vorachhun, a goddess of the seas, Moni Mekhala, and Ream Eyso (the storm demon) all studied with the hermit known as Lok Ta Moni Eisei. A wise and powerful hermit possessed a magical crystal ball and must decide to which pupil the crystal ball should be given. He proposed a challenge: the students were told to collect a glass of morning dew and the first to present one would be the winner.

The following day, the three attempted to collect the morning dew. Among them, Moni Mekhala had the smartest method, spreading her handkerchief on the grass overnight which by morning was damp. She squeezed the dew into the glass and presented it to the hermit. As a reward for her ingenuity, Moni Mekhala was given a glittering crystal ball, while Ream Eyso received a magic diamond axe and Vorachhun a magic dagger.

Jealous of Moni Mekhala, Ream Eyso is determined to seize it at any cost. He plans to seize the crystal ball from Moni Mekhala. En-route to Moni Mekhala, Ream Eyso met Voracchun and kills him. Then, he found Moni Mekhala, but she reacted with compassion instead of fear and evades Ream Eyso. He kept attacking the goddess. However, Moni Mekhala bounces back and giving fights to defend herself. Ream Eyso throws his axe at Moni Mekhala, producing thunder but not on targets because Moni Mekhala manages to dodge. When the demon tries to grab the crystal ball, Moni Mekhala sent the crystal ball flying into the sky, producing flashes of lightning that temporarily blind Ream Eyso. The goddess escapes into the sky. The friction produces nourishing rain, and the fight continues as the cycle of rain on the earth.Some of the rain droplets falls on Voracchun’s body, reviving him. And sets off to the sky in search of Moni Mekhala and, Ream Eyso

Characters and costumes

The main characters of the dance are Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso. In most of the performance, these two characters plays the main role in the dance. In some performances, especially the ''Royal Buong Suong'', Moni Mekhala is performed with many pairs of devatas characters.

The costume wears by characters in ''Robam Moni Mekhala'' is similar to that of other traditional dances of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia.

Moni Mekhala

The role of Moni Mekhala wears a decorative gold (crown), kbang (front crown), and (ears decoration jewelry) and adorned with flowers (') on both side of the crown.
The character wears a . The sampot is wrapped around the lower body then pleated into a band in the front and secured with a gold or brass belt. A shawl-like garment called a is worn over the left shoulder diagonally. The is very decorative and embroidered extensively with tiny beads and sequins. Similar to the worn by other female characters in the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, the worn by Moni Mekhala is designed with a diamond-shaped floral pattern thought different pattern sometimes used. '' Ksae sangvar'', a decorated band of beads is worn crosswise. Under the ', Moni Mekhala wears a blue short-sleeved silk shirt called '' av lakoan'' that tight at the sleeves, she wear it with the exposing of her both arms, elbows and hands that reveals her soft and fairskins to illustrate that she is a goddess of the sea or Moni Mekhala. Around the neck, an embroidered collar called a ' srang kar is worn. Jewelry for this role includes a large, filigree square pendant of which is hung by the corner, various types of ankle and wrists bracelets and bangles, an armlet or a kind of golden ornament worn by gripped around both ends sleeves of the short-sleeved shirt, and body chains of various styles.
What distinguished Moni Mekhala from other female characters in Royal Ballet of Cambodia is that she wore the short-sleeved '' av lakoan'' (blue silk shirt) and holds a sacred magical crystal ball called ''.''

Ream Eyso

Ream Eyso character wears a similar costume to the other (giant) characters in the Royal Ballet of Cambodia and Khol