Three faces

Savin's public face as a top-class classical dancer, wearing her single-spired mokot crown
Savin's private face, when not in the public arena

She'll hate me for this but here are three faces, two of them natural, the other an artistic impression, of one of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia's leading classical dancers, Sam Savin. She first toured abroad at the age of fourteen and will soon go to France for the fifth time in her professional career. She has also toured the United States a few times, as well as Europe and Japan amongst other countries, helping to promote Cambodia's art around the world. As an artist, you really don't need to guess where she lives - yes, that's right in the Bassac, which is traditionally home to Phnom Penh's community of performing artists from musicians and singers to dancers. Now twenty-eight, she is a teacher at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA), though with such a busy calendar of performances and a hectic touring schedule, she regrets that she doesn't have enough time to devote to her students. Keeping Cambodia's traditions alive is a tough task because of the small number of artists accomplished enough to perform at the highest level. Savin has performed at the top level now for fourteen years and shows no sign of taking it easy. An artistic impression of Savin's classical dance face and crown