What the Washington Post calls "a treat" and "superb production! (See article below)

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 Agangamasor and His Magic Power

 (Story of the Magic Diamond Finger)
 Saturday, November 7, 8 p.m.
 Stephens Hall Theatre, Towson University

  Featuring 24 performers in dazzling costumes

This classical dance-drama was specially choreographed and composed by the eminent master dancers and musicians who fled Cambodia during the war and have been teaching at the Cambodian Buddhist Society for two decades. The legendary story of The Magic Diamond Finger tells an episode from the Reamker (Cambodian version of the Ramayana story) never before seen on stage--the mythological world as it was prior to the birth of Prince Rama.

Tickets: $16 General, $13 Students & Seniors; $10 AA&CC members and TU student with I.D. 

For tickets: (410) 704-2787 or www.towson.edu/artscalendar   

    Good Triumphs in 'Power'

    Monday, June 29, 2009, Washington Post

    This angels-and-demons tale is the pre-story to the famous Hindu epic "Ramayana": The heaven-dwelling antagonists in "Agangamasor and His Magic Power" are reborn as the god Rama and the demon        Ravana at the end; thus, the struggle between good and evil cycles on, one never permanently triumphing over the other.

The American Buddhist Society's presentation of "Agangamasor" as dance drama Saturday at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center was a treat. The society pulled together 37 first-rate, mostly U.S.-based musicians and dancers to mount the hour-long performance. The distinctly Eastern concept of an endless cycle of good vs. evil is best conveyed through a full-length story. In this country, classical Cambodian dance programs often present a scene from a longer drama, but rarely an entire story.

        Classical Cambodian dance is a highfalutin palace tradition made for close-up viewing by connoisseurs. Movements are small and exquisitely refined. The fingers often move almost imperceptibly, or the body might rise and fall just a couple of inches. The pace is elegant and unhurried, yet the story proceeds quickly through code-like, highly stylized gestures. There is no need for realistic reenactments. After all, the audience is supposed to know the story, and there were surtitles for those who didn't. The superb production was choreographed by Masady Mani with music composed by Ngek Chum. To top it all off, the performers joined the audience in the lobby afterward, allowing everyone to feast on the detail in the resplendent costumes.

                                                           --- Pamela Squires