This Thursday, March 5, the French Institute of Cambodia (IFC) brings something a little different to Phnom Penh – an evening of French creative energy curated around International Women’s Day, and built around three women who have each, in their own way, made this part of the world their home. And while it has the feel of a cultural evening, it carries the full weight of French diplomatic commitment behind it.
The event, called Women in Motion, is a joint initiative between IFC and the French embassy in Cambodia. The day moves through three very different moods – beginning in quiet reflection and building toward full movement by the end of the evening.
It begins at lunchtime with a wellness break worth showing up for even if yoga is not usually your thing. Chrystèle Thézé teaches Kaiut – a method developed by Brazilian chiropractor Francisco Kaiut that takes a fundamentally different approach to the practice.
Rather than chasing flexibility or dramatic postures, Kaiut works slowly and deliberately from the joints outward, using long holds and small adaptive movements to restore “what modern life gradually takes away”. It is gentle but surprisingly deep, working on the nervous system, the fascia, the back and core – the parts of the body that carry the weight of how we actually live.
Thézé trained directly with the founder of the method and has been teaching it for ten years. The class, conducted in French and open to complete beginners, runs for one hour from 12:30pm and is one of the only opportunities to experience this practice in Asia.
The evening proper begins at 7:30pm with something harder to categorise and all the more interesting for it. Cécile Hinas – a musician and composer who trained in electro-acoustic composition and voice at the Marseille Conservatory – has been based in Siem Reap for over a decade, developing a body of work that draws on improvisation, sonic memory and life in that part of Cambodia.
Chill Gate, which makes its Phnom Penh debut on Thursday, is described as “a sonic and introspective journey, a threshold to cross between breath and matter, between the cosmic void and the presence of the body. [The] poem unfolds as a slow listening experience, made up of breaths, emerging rhythms and sensitive textures… [it is] at the crossroads of meditation, soundscape and performance poetry,” according to IFC’s programme notes.
This is not background music. This is an invitation to “be carried away rather than to understand”.
At 8:30pm, Goddamn Kiddo, Béatrix Moreau, takes over. Originally from Paris, Moreau has become a fixture of Cambodia’s underground music scene, joining Kampot’s pirate collective, At Paniaha SoundSystem, and developing a reputation as a digger’s DJ with a range that spans “organic and instrumental tracks inspired by the four corners of the globe … before evolving [across the course of a set] towards more danceable sounds borrowing from house, dark disco and techno,” according to the programme.
The mix she has crafted for the event is designed as a “progressive journey” – a fitting close to a day that begins in stillness and ends, finally, in full movement.
Women in Motion takes place on March 5 at IFC. Tickets for the Kaiut yoga session are $8 and Chill Gate $5. The Goddamn Kiddo DJ set is free and open to the public. For more information and to register, visit https://www.ifcambodge.com/fr/culture/en-ce-moment/femmes-en-mouvement.
