Programs & Events
American Hip Hop Concerts Draw Thousands of Enthusiastic Cambodian Fans
Battambang and Phnom Penh
December 11-14, 2007
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh hosted The Dana Leong Band for a 4-day concert tour through Cambodia as part of The Rhythm Road - American Music Abroad program. The Dana Leong Band is a four-person ensemble from New York City. The band has an incredible musical chemistry that combines live music with electronic tracks. Bandleader Dana Leong uses a laptop both onstage and in the studio to create soundscapes of electronic beats and to manipulate the sound of instruments through real time processing. The result is a unique fusion of computerized instrumental hip-hop funk rhythms and rock propulsions.
In Cambodia, the group performed at free, outdoor concerts in Battambang and Phnom Penh to large and enthusiastic crowds. More than 3,000 people attended the December 12th show in Battambang, while 2,000 attended the concert in Phnom Penh on December 14th. The Dana Leong Band also performed for more than 300 Cambodian children from the Cambodian Children’s Fund at a special holiday party at the U.S. Embassy on December 13th.
Ambassador Mussomeli said of the concerts, "Cambodians have a natural, strong attraction to anything American, but really haven’t had enough contact with American culture and life. This hip-hop group, in combination with the variety of other cultural events we have sponsored over the last year, offers the Cambodian public another window into America." He added, "We do these events primarily to engage with the Cambodian people. Too often embassies focus their attention too much on simply engaging the government. That is not enough. People-to-people communication is what, over the longer term, will fashion and define our bilateral relationship."
An added feature of the concerts were hip hop dance performances by members of Tiny Toones Cambodia. Tiny Toones break dancing club aims to give children from Phnom Penh's poorest communities a constructive way to channel their energies and build confidence. Many people consider them to be the most popular contemporary dancers in Cambodia and an inspiration to others.
"The mix of American musicians and Cambodian dancers is just the message we want to convey—that Americans and Cambodians have much in common and that they enjoy each other’s company," said Ambassador Mussomeli.
The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program takes American music around the world. Through the presentation of jazz and hip-hop, American musicians are reaching out with high impact across cultural, language and social barriers in countries where there is limited exposure to live American culture. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and produced in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center.
