Nadtasin Lao Lanxang

Lao dance is an expression of art, using graceful hand movements to interpret a story. Classical Lao dance began in the royal courts of Laos, its gestures and postures codified over centuries into a formal vocabulary passed teacher to student. Choummaly Keodara has devoted her life to keeping that lineage alive in the Central Valley, leading a youth dance troupe of boys and girls who perform it today.

Keodara has danced and sung since she was five years old, trained by multiple teachers but shaped above all by one of the last Lao royal court dancers, an elder named Chaiphet, who carried this tradition out of Laos before the war. Under that guidance, Keodara became a devoted protégé.

Her students perform regularly across the community’s calendar — Lao New Year, MLK Jr. Day, Chicanismo In Color, and other civic and cultural events throughout the year. Keodara pays close attention to regalia, importing traditional Lao skirts and jewelry directly from Laos.

Many of her students come from Laotian families, but the group also includes children of other backgrounds and many from interracial families — for all of them, the dance is a living connection to Lao identity and heritage. Recently, Keodara received a Measure P grant through her relationship with ACTA, which allowed her to expand her class offerings and reach more students.