UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
CENTER FOR LOWELL HISTORY
ANGKOR DANCE TROUPE, INC. COLLECTION, 1991-2017
UML 5
EXTENT: 17 document cases and 1 oversize folder; 7.25 cubic feet.
ABSTRACT:
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Cambodian performing arts while providing a positive social and educational environment for their young members. The collection includes financial records, board of directors records, correspondence, program files, and photographs.
Some items in the collection have been digitized: https://umlseada.omeka.net/collections/show/4 and https://archive.org/details/seadauml?&and%5b%5d=angkor%20dance
Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was established in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1986 by Tim Chan Thou and a group of Cambodian refugees with a passion for Khmer performing arts. During this time, in other Cambodian refugee communities across the United States, other amateur dance groups were also formed. In the 1990s, contact was reestablished between artists that had left Cambodia and artists still in Cambodia.
Today, Angkor Dance Troupe is nationally recognized as one of the most accomplished and experienced U.S.-based Cambodian traditional arts organizations. The organization has three main out of school time programs: Dance (traditional classical and folk), Music (traditional Cambodian instruments), and Khmer language class. Additionally, the organization is involved with bringing master dance teachers from Cambodia to Lowell for residencies.
Information gathered from the collection and the organization's website, www.angkordance.org.
The records of the Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. include materials created by the organization as well as materials created by other institutions and that may have been collected for the purposes of research. The collection has two series that reflect these origins, Organizational Files and Subject Files.
Series 1, Organizational Files, 1991-2017. Materials created by the Angkor Dance Troupe in the normal course of its operations.
Sub-series 1, Administration, 1991-2017. Includes financial records, personnel documents, and funding documents related to fundraising and grants received. Other materials include documents related to bringing Cambodia-based master dance teachers to Lowell for residencies, some programming materials (see sub-series 4 for more program materials), and ephemera.
Sub-series 2, Board of Directors, 1994-2014. Includes board meeting agendas and minutes, reports to the board of directors, board recruitment and training, and board of directors' information.
Sub-series 3, Correspondence, 1996-2010. To and from staff members.
Sub-series 4, Program Files, 1997-2015. Includes program evaluation materials and reports, performance event information, and dance curriculum.
Sub-series 5, Newspaper Clippings, 1994-2001. Related to Angkor Dance Troupe.
Sub-series 6, Photographs, 2007-2015. Includes photographs of dancers performing at different events, and professionally taken and candid photographs of dancers.
Sub-series 7, Posters, 2003-2017. Related to the organization and various performances.
Sub-series 8, Student Information, 2002-2015. Includes student/participant enrollment information, attendance records, student profiles, and permission slips including release forms.
Series 2, Subject Files, 1991-2017. This series contains materials not created by the Angkor Dance Troupe but was collected by the organization in the normal course of its operations. Materials include business cards from the local community; publications related to Cambodia, dance, and Cambodian culture and religion; and publications written by Cambodian people in English and Khmer.
For a listing of related collections at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and elsewhere, please visit: https://www.uml.edu/Research/SEA-digital-archive/related-collections.aspx.
For more information about the SEADA, please visit our home page at www.uml.edu/seada, or email us at seada@uml.edu.
