a guest approaches the front desk of a *****hotel;
he wants to book a ticket for an apsara show in the Apsara Theatre in Siem Reap; however, he doesn’t have much information on what apsara is.
So you, member of the front desk team, explain to him.
An Apsara show is a traditional Cambodian dance performance. It is very famous in Cambodia and many visitors enjoy watching it. The Apsara dance is slow, graceful, and beautiful. The dancers wear long, colorful dresses, golden crowns, and special jewelry. They move their hands, arms, and fingers in a soft and elegant way. Every movement has meaning and tells a story from old legends, nature, or daily life.
Apsara dancers are usually women, and they start training when they are very young. The dance is part of Cambodia’s ancient culture. You can even see Apsara dancers carved on the walls of Angkor Wat, the famous temple near Siem Reap. The stories in the dance are often about gods, love, animals, and the natural world.
The music during the show is also traditional. It is played with Cambodian instruments like drums, flutes, and gongs. The music is soft and matches the slow movements of the dancers.
In Siem Reap, one of the best places to watch the show is the Apsara Theatre. It is a comfortable place with a beautiful stage. Some shows also offer a Khmer dinner before the performance.
Watching an Apsara show is a wonderful way to enjoy Cambodian culture. It is peaceful, artistic, and very special.
______________________________
Vocabulary:
- to approach – to come near to someone or something
- to explain – to say something so another person can understand
- a performance – a show with music, dancing, or acting
- to enjoy watching something – to like looking at something (like a show or movie)
- graceful – moving in a beautiful and smooth way
- a colorful dress – a dress with many bright colors
- jewelry – things like rings, necklaces, and bracelets that people wear
- a soft movement – a light and gentle action or move
- a meaning – what something wants to say or show
- a legend – an old story, often about gods or heroes
- ancient – very, very old
- to carve on walls – to cut shapes or pictures into stone walls
- traditional – something old that people in a country still do
- a drum – a round instrument you hit to make sound
- a flute – a long musical instrument you blow into
- soft music – quiet and gentle music
- to match something – to go well with something
- comfortable – nice to sit in or be in; not hurting or difficult
- a stage – the place where people sing, dance, or act in a show
- peaceful – quiet and calm
- artistic – full of art or showing creativity
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Multiple-choice test, only one answer correct:
1. What does „to approach“ mean?
a) to come near to someone or something
b) to run away from something
c) to sit down quickly
2. What does „to explain“ mean?
a) to play a game
b) to make something easy to understand
c) to write a letter
3. What is „a performance“?
a) a place to sleep
b) a kind of food
c) a show with dancing, music, or acting
4. What does „to enjoy watching something“ mean?
a) to not look at it
b) to feel tired while watching
c) to like looking at a show or movie
5. What does „graceful“ mean?
a) moving in a slow and nice way
b) speaking very loudly
c) jumping quickly
6. What is „a colorful dress“?
a) a dress for sleeping
b) a dress with many bright colors
c) a dress that is only black
7. What is „jewelry“?
a) bags and books
b) things people wear like rings or necklaces
c) shoes and socks
8. What is „a soft movement“?
a) a loud sound
b) a light and gentle move
c) a strong and fast move
9. What is „a meaning“?
a) what something wants to say or show
b) a kind of animal
c) the price of something
10. What is „a legend“?
a) a new phone
b) an old story about heroes or gods
c) a type of food
11. What does „ancient“ mean?
a) very big
b) very fast
c) very, very old
12. What does „to carve on walls“ mean?
a) to cut shapes or pictures into a wall
b) to draw with a pen
c) to paint with water
13. What does „traditional“ mean?
a) something from a new movie
b) something used for driving
c) something people in a country always do
14. What is „a drum“?
a) a drink
b) a round instrument you hit to make sound
c) a kind of fruit
15. What is „a flute“?
a) a small animal
b) a toy for babies
c) a long thing you blow to make music
16. What is „soft music“?
a) music that is quiet and gentle
b) music that is loud and fast
c) music with no instruments
17. What does „to match something“ mean?
a) to clean it
b) to break it
c) to go well with something
18. What does „comfortable“ mean?
a) very strong
b) cold and wet
c) easy and nice to sit in
19. What is „a stage“?
a) a bed for sleeping
b) a place for cooking
c) the place where people dance or sing
20. What does „peaceful“ mean?
a) very noisy
b) quiet and calm
c) very exciting
21. What does „artistic“ mean?
a) good at sports
b) fast at running
c) full of art or creativity
____________________
Answers:
1 a 2 b 3 c 4 c 5 a 6 b 7 b 8 b 9 a 10 b
11 c 12 a 13 c 14 b 15 c 16 a 17 c 18 c
19 c 20 b 21 c
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Gap fill exercise – only 1 answer correct:
- When you want to come near someone, you ______ them. (approach, run from, jump over)
- If I don’t understand, please ______ it to me again. (hide, explain, forget)
- The dancers gave a beautiful ______ on the stage. (performance, kitchen, car)
- I like to ______ watching movies in the evening. (enjoy, avoid, hate)
- The ballerina moves very slowly and ______. (fast, gracefully, noisy)
- She wore a ______ dress with many bright colors. (colorful, small, empty)
- People wear ______ like rings and necklaces. (books, jewelry, shoes)
- The bird’s wings move in a ______ way. (soft, hard, loud)
- Every word has a ______ or something it means. (sound, meaning, size)
- A ______ is a very old story about heroes or gods. (movie, legend, game)
- Angkor Wat is an ______ temple, very old. (new, modern, ancient)
- Artists ______ pictures on stone walls. (swim, write, carve)
- Khmer dancing is a ______ art in Cambodia. (broken, small, traditional)
- You play a ______ by hitting it with your hands. (flute, drum, guitar)
- A ______ is a long instrument that you blow into. (chair, flute, car)
Answer key
1 approach 2 explain 3 performance 4 enjoy 5 gracefully 6 colorful 7 jewelry 8 soft 9 meaning 10 legend 11 ancient 12 carve 13 traditional 14 drum 15 flute
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Match the word to its definition:
Words:
- Graceful
- Ancient
- Jewelry
- Flute
- Performance
- Traditional
- Legend
- Drum
- Carve
- Meaning
- Approach
- Soft
- Explain
- Colorful
- Stage
Definitions:
a) A show with music, dance, or acting
b) To come near to someone or something
c) Very old, from a long time ago
d) A place where people sing or dance
e) Moving in a smooth and nice way
f) Things like rings or necklaces worn for decoration
g) A story about heroes or gods from the past
h) To cut shapes or pictures into a surface
i) A long musical instrument you blow into
j) Quiet and gentle, not loud or hard
k) To make something clear or easy to understand
l) A round musical instrument you hit
m) Something with many bright colors
n) Something people do the same way for a long time
o) What a word or action means
_________________
Answers:
1 e 2 c 3 f 4 i 5 a 6 n 7 g 8 l 9 h 10 o 11 b 12 j 13 k 14 m 15 d
##############
True or false ?
- The guest wants to see an Apsara show.
- Apsara is a modern Cambodian dance.
- Apsara dancers wear colorful dresses and jewelry.
- The Apsara dance tells an old legend.
- The show happens in a big museum.
- Dancers move with soft hands and arms.
- The music is very loud and fast.
- People play drums and flutes during the show.
- The Apsara dance is part of Cambodian tradition.
- Apsaras were women from the sea.
- Apsara dances can be seen on old temple walls.
- The Apsara Theatre is in Siem Reap.
____________________
True: 1,3,4,6,8,9,11,12
##################
Fill in, words below:
- A guest came to the __________ and asked about the Apsara show.
- He did not __________ much about what Apsara means.
- The front desk staff was happy to __________ the Apsara show to him.
- Apsara is a beautiful __________ Cambodian dance.
- The dancers wear __________ dresses and special jewelry.
- They move their hands and arms slowly and __________
- The dance tells old __________ from Cambodian history.
- You can see pictures of Apsara dancers __________ on temple walls.
- The music is soft and uses __________ and flutes.
- Each movement in the dance has a special __________.
- The Apsara show takes place on a peaceful and artistic __________.
- Many visitors __________ watching the show during their stay in Siem Reap.
___________________________
carved – colorful – enjoy – front desk – explain – meaning – drums – know – stage – gracefully – traditional – legends
___________________________
1 front desk
2 know
3 explain
4 legends
5 colorful
6 gracefully
7 traditional
8 carved
9 drums
10 meaning
11 stage
12 enjoy
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Dialogue between a guest and a front desk staff member on the apsara show – complete, no words given, try!
Guest: Hello, I heard about an Apsara show. Can you tell me what it is?
Staff: Of course! Apsara is a __________ Cambodian dance. It is very beautiful and artistic.
Guest: What do the dancers wear in the show?
Staff: The dancers wear colorful __________ and special jewelry. They look very elegant.
Guest: How do they move in the show?
Staff: They move slowly with soft and __________hands and arms. Every movement is important.
Guest: Does the dance have a meaning?
Staff: Yes, it does. The dance tells old __________ from Cambodian history.
Guest: Where can I see pictures of Apsara dancers?
Staff: You can see them __________on the walls of ancient temples, like Angkor Wat.
Guest: What music do they play during the show?
Staff: The music is soft. It is played with traditional instruments like drums and __________.
Guest: Where is the Apsara ___________?
Staff: It is at the Apsara Theatre here in Siem Reap. It is not far from the hotel.
Guest: Is it a good experience for visitors?
Staff: Yes, many guests _________ watching the performance. It is peaceful and very special.
Guest: Can you help me book a __________?
Staff: Yes, of course! I can help you with that right now.
_____________________
Full dialogue:
Guest: Hello, I heard about an Apsara show. Can you tell me what it is?
Staff: Of course! Apsara is a traditional Cambodian dance. It is very beautiful and artistic.
Guest: What do the dancers wear in the show?
Staff: The dancers wear colorful dresses and special jewelry. They look very elegant.
Guest: How do they move in the show?
Staff: They move slowly with soft and graceful hands and arms. Every movement is important.
Guest: Does the dance have a meaning?
Staff: Yes, it does. The dance tells old legends from Cambodian history.
Guest: Where can I see pictures of Apsara dancers?
Staff: You can see them carved on the walls of ancient temples, like Angkor Wat.
Guest: What music do they play during the show?
Staff: The music is soft. It is played with traditional instruments like drums and flutes.
Guest: Where is the Apsara show?
Staff: It is at the Apsara Theatre here in Siem Reap. It is not far from the hotel.
Guest: Is it a good experience for visitors?
Staff: Yes, many guests enjoy watching the performance. It is peaceful and very special.
Guest: Can you help me book a ticket?
Staff: Yes, of course! I can help you with that right now.
