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“ Some of my friends and relatives were honest and said they were dancers. The Khmer Rouge took them away and cut them open from their necks down to their stomachs” At the end of Pol Pot ‘s reign of terror only one in ten classical dancers of Cambodia’s Royal Court had survived. This is the story of the tenth dancer. Em Theay (pronounced Em Te-ay ) grew up in a time of peace. Surrounded by dancers she lived in the palace grounds. She never went to school but instead learnt all the songs and gestures eventually to become a teacher with the Royal Court Ballet. Her star pupil was Sok Chea (pronounced So Cheah), who at twenty two was poised to take the principal role at the Royal Court, when Pol Pot marched into Phnom Penh and the story of the killing fields began. Em Theay and Sok Chea were separated. They both took on false identities and like everybody else went to work in the fields. Each day whilst their feet lay in mud their spirits still danced. After the defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979 they heard an announcement over a loudspeaker. All dancers, musicians and performers were begged to come to Phnom Penh to help rebuild the culture. They responded to this urgent call and within days arrived, thin and malnourished, only to discover that ninety percent of their colleagues had disappeared and that most of their cultural treasures had been destroyed. But what the Khmer Rouge failed to destroy was the memory of the people. Em Theay, reunited with Sok Chea, gathered as many former dancers as possible and began teaching again the ancient stories and traditions of their ancestors. The Tenth Dancer is a timely film, documenting the retrieval of a destroyed culture. Set in Cambodia today, it tells the remarkable story of a teacher and her pupil who are at the helm of rebuilding classical dance in Phnom Penh. We follow them in their daily practise and witness the preparation and participation of the Royal Ballet in the Cambodian New Year celebrations. New Year is the time when Cambodians pay respect to the gods who will offer protection – and rain – for the coming year. But it is also the time when Pol Pot marched into Phnom Penh. Through memory and experience Em Theay and Sok Chea reveal their story of survival.