Chhoun Chandan is a circus artist who specializes in Rola Bola and plays several roles, from “child” to “Pol Pot”, in the show \u201cSokha\u201d. He grew up in Battambang\u00a0and attended the Performing Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak. He goes by the nickname “Loyl”, which translates to “cool”.<\/p>\n
\n
![\"Phare](\"\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Optimized-KH1_3976-300x281.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n
Q: How long have you\u00a0been with Phare?<\/strong><\/p>\n I started to study at Phare in 1998, and in total I\u2019ve been with Phare for ten years as a student and one year and a half as a professional performer .<\/p>\n Q: Where are you from?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m from Battambang province. I was born into a poor family. When I was young, my family got support, like some meals, from NGOs and charities. I also worked small jobs, like selling things in the market, to\u00a0help my family .<\/p>\n Q: How did you first come to Phare Ponleu Selpak?<\/strong><\/p>\n Q: What do you like about being an artist?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Q: What is your favorite show at Phare?<\/strong><\/p>\n “Sokha” is my favorite show and my favorite part of the show is when all the children run away from Khmer Rouge and the bombs are dropped from an airplane. It feels to me like living the real thing.<\/p>\n Q: What would you do if you weren\u2019t an artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n If I did not study circus, I think it would have been hard for me to live in this country. I don\u2019t have high professional knowledge of anything else, so maybe I would have stolen from people to survive, or been a trash picker.<\/p>\n Q: What is your life like now outside of work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Q: What are your hopes for the future?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I think maybe in the future I can\u2019t continue to be a circus artist because I\u2019m getting too old. But if I have have a chance, I would like to teach the younger generation about circus arts and maybe one day I will open a small business by my self .<\/p>\n Read more about “Sokha”<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Phare](\"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Optimized-5D3_6872_opt-300x200.jpg\")
I had never heard of Phare Ponleu Selpak, but the one of my friends went to study there and told me about it. He told me there was a circus school and that they taught painting. So I started attending the school. The first week I studied, but I realized I don\u2019t have those skills. So I changed to study circus with Teacher Khoun Det.\u00a0 I graduated from Phare Ponleu Selpak in 2008.<\/p>\n![\"Phare](\"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Optimized-_DP11345_opt-199x300.jpg\")
Being an artist always had great meaning for me. I saw that circus arts can make my life and my family better than before. I was invited go to many counties for performance and exchange experiences with other artists.<\/p>\n![\"Phare](\"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Optimized-DSC_0357_opt-300x200.jpg\")
Now I\u2019m in a relationship and I live in Battambang province. In my free time, I go to Phare Ponleu Selpak for training and improving my skills. I also like to play sports, go to the gym, and spend time with my family and my child.<\/p>\n
\n