''Yike'' (, 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 language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...

, and was imported to Cambodia in the

Funan Funan (; , ; , Chữ Hán: ; ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Khmer-Mon Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''( Mandala)''—located in Mainland Southeast Asia covering ...

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

Khmer Krom The Khmer Krom (, , ; or 'Southern Khmer people') are ethnically Khmer people living in or from the Mekong Delta (Tây Nam Bộ), the south western part of Vietnam known in Khmer as Kampuchea Krom (, ). The Khmer Krom people are considered a ...

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 Lakhon Bassac or Lakon Bassak ( Khmer: ល្ខោនបាសាក់) is a popular theatre of Cambodia, created by Khmer people near the Bassac River in southern Vietnam at the beginning of the 20th century. It is derived from Chinese opera whi ...

Performances

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

invocation Invocation is the act of calling upon a deity, spirit, or supernatural force, typically through prayer, ritual, or spoken formula, to seek guidance, assistance, or presence. It is a practice found in numerous religious, spiritual, and esote ...

. For most of the performance, a dancing style similar to ''

rom kbach ''Rom kbach'' () is a genre of Cambodian popular music and a popular Khmer dance style. ''Rom kbach'' has a slower emotional melody similar to Thai music, whereas the Chamrieng Samai music category of ''romvong'' has a faster tune. The two main ...

'' is lightly incorporated. The stories are often of various

Jatakas The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

or tales of the

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

's life. Performances of the story of

Tum Teav ''Tum Teav'' ( ; 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 Cambodian secondary na ...

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 Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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