Minnesota Buddhist Temple Opens Up Sacred Dance Troupe

CBS Minnesota

February 11, 2023

The Buddhist community anchored by an ornate temple complex here in the Minnesota farmland is trying a new way to ensure its faith and ancestral culture stay vibrant for future generations -- an open call for the sacred dance troupe.

Founded by refugees fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime, which sought to eradicate most religious institutions, Watt Munisotaram and its troupe hope that teaching young children sacred dance will strengthen their ties to both Buddhism and Cambodian traditions.

"The connection is stronger when I dance," said Sabrina Sok, 22, a Wattanak Dance Troupe leader. "The thing that stays in my head is this dance form almost disappeared with the Khmer Rouge."

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