Cambodian court dance, also known as Khmer classical dance, not only has symbolic function, but also embodies Cambodia's elegant traditional values. In ancient Cambodia, the art and culture of Cambodia were closely related to the introduced religions. Religious beliefs in Cambodia can be traced back to before the founding of the People's Republic of China. The primitive inhabitants of Cambodia believed in fetishism and elf worship, including rivers and mountains, as well as birds and animals. Around 1 century, ancient Indian culture was introduced into the earliest Funan dynasty in Cambodia. Cambodia draws lessons from Indian culture on the basis of its original local culture, so it is deeply influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism, especially Brahmanism introduced from India. Cambodia became the center of Buddhism in Southeast Asia during the Zhenla Dynasty after the 6th century. During this period, a splendid Angkor culture was created, and Brahmanism and Mahayana Buddhism flourished alternately. During the reign of Ge Ye Ba Maw VII, the king was a devout Buddhist. He built a large number of temples and rebuilt Angkor Wat, which showed people's worship and belief in Buddhism at that time. In Cambodia's dance art, the shadow of religion can't be erased. As can be seen from the court dance, the role interpretation and posture modeling are based on various religious images. These religious beliefs also laid the embryonic form of Khmer dance culture, and classical court dance gradually took shape. During the Angkor period, Khmer culture reached its peak and dance art flourished. A large number of dancers and musicians have been raised in the courts and temples, and the status of dancers is as noble as that of goddesses. Nowadays, many sculptures of the goddess Apsara can still be seen in the world-famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia. These statues are elegant, beautiful and lifelike.

The court dance in Cambodia originated from the court dance in India. In many Indian myths, there are legends that fairies dance for the gods. Apsara originated from Indian mythology, and Apsara dance is the core of Cambodian court dance, a traditional dance of Khmer people, with cheerful music and graceful dancing. The history of Apsara dance can be traced back to 1 century. In Angkor, many temples are carved with dancers in golden headdresses and skirts. It is estimated that there were about 3,000 Apsara dancers in the Cambodian court in the12nd century. They tell stories with silent actions and gestures. They smile and never talk. The court dance in Cambodia has a whole set of performance gestures, and all the dancers have undergone strict training since childhood. In addition to unique talent and beauty, dancers need a pair of flexible and elegant hands without exception. The training of Khmer classical dance, like ballet training, needs years of practice and basic training. The communication between Khmer classical dance and audience is complicated. Different positions of arms and hands can express different meanings, for example, gestures to laugh or fly. The different ways of using these gestures depend on different types of roles. Gorgeous costumes can embody meaning in addition to hand movements and facial expressions. Khmer classical dance has always been closely linked with the court and performed at traditional royal ceremonies such as coronation, wedding and funeral. Palace dance with a long history is not only an artistic treasure of Cambodia, but also a bright pearl in world culture and art.

Cambodian royal family has always attached great importance to culture and art. In the19th century, after King Anton ascended the throne, he revived the endangered court dance and carried out reforms. On the basis of the original sacredness and dignity, the rigidity is reduced and the softness and delicacy are highlighted, so the Cambodian classical dance we see today is more feminine and elegant. Later, Prince Sihanouk's family also made important contributions to the development of court dance. Prince Sihanouk lived in the countryside outside the palace since he was a child. He has always loved art and studied music, dance, saxophone and movies in his life. He is also an excellent composer and photographer. Sihanouk's mother, Queen Nyirala, and her eldest daughter, Princess Devi, both served as heads of the Royal Cambodian Ballet. Sihanouk's mother sisowath Kossamak Nearirat is an important figure in the development of Cambodian court dance. She supported the development of Khmer art and dance in the mid-Kloc-0/9th century. In the mid-20th century, she not only promoted the restoration and development of Khmer traditional dance research, but also helped popularize and publicize court dance. Princess Pawa Devi, the eldest daughter of Prince Sihanouk, is quite accomplished in classical dance performance. She often plays important roles such as fairy, queen and princess in the troupe. Her dancing is beautiful and moving, and her delicate gestures and eyes give people beautiful enjoyment. Princess David is also the choreographer of the Royal Ballet, and has been managing the ballet for the royal family for decades. The princess's mother is a famous ballerina Ganhuo, and the princess's younger brother, later King sihamoni, was smart and studious since childhood. He not only studied Cambodian court dance with his sister, but also combined court dance with French ballet. Prince Sihanouk's family not only made great efforts in the restoration of court dance, but also constantly showed this fascinating art to the world. Cambodia has always maintained friendly relations with China. 1957, at the invitation of Prime Minister Zhou Enlai of China, Prince Sihanouk came to China to perform with 73 members of the Royal Cambodian Ballet. Sihanouk specially invited Princess Pawa David, who was only 14 years old, and her younger brother Prince Carpen to perform. This visit showed the traditional fairy dance in Cambodia, namely "the Pearl of Cambodia". 1960, Prince Sihanouk visited China again with 15 actors from the Royal Ballet, and in 1963, he brought 30 dancers to China, including his daughter Princess David, who performed classic works such as Fairy Dance and Fairy Happy Dance. The family of Prince Sihanouk has made important contributions to the protection and development of Cambodian dance art. The Royal Cambodian Ballet has visited many countries in the world and performed for the people of the world. It has been warmly welcomed by people all over the world, showing the world Cambodia's splendid artistic treasures.

The traditional court dances in Cambodia include Fairy Dance, Prayer Dance, Fan Dance, Butterfly Dance and Sword Dance. The court dances in the ballet include Ramayana, The Battle of the Black Monkey and the White Monkey, The Myth of Bria Jinnafeng, Remu Esso and Mani. Many Cambodian court dances are also derived from dramatic epics, such as Mahasa Murado. This is a large-scale narrative poem of ancient India, which was formed in the 4th century, including the story of Krishna and the classic story of Hinduism, Bagadaojita, etc. Are called the source of Hindu mythology. This epic describes not the ordinary internal struggle of the royal family, but the struggle between two kinds of rulers who are obviously opposed. The content is to constantly fight against evil forces, condemn the harm of evil forces to the people, and persist in fighting for just forces. It expresses people's anger that they want a wise monarch instead of a tyrant to unify the world. This work has spread to Southeast Asia in various artistic forms and has also had an important impact on the development of local literature.

The accompaniment instruments of Cambodian court dance are mainly bronze gong, xylophone and bell, supplemented by strings and five-tone reed, among which strings are popular and reed flute music is one of the important tracks of court dance. Smart Cambodians use different music to express their feelings and ideas. These concerts are used in different festivals. For example, cheerful and lively music is suitable for happy festivals, while gentle and sad music is suitable for painful scenes.