Phare Ponleu Selpak (Phare Circus)

Phare Ponleu Selpak — Brightness of the Arts — is a non-profit arts school based in Battambang that has trained hundreds of Cambodian students in circus arts, dance, music, and visual arts since its founding in 1994. The performing arts programmes are the most internationally recognized: Phare-trained circus artists perform acrobatics, juggling, and dance with a distinctively Cambodian narrative style that has been praised at venues worldwide.

Evening circus performances are held at the Phare campus in Battambang on a regular schedule, especially during high season. Attending a show is one of the best ways to spend an evening in Battambang — the performances are genuinely skilled, entertaining for all ages, and proceeds support the school's educational mission. The campus also welcomes daytime visitors to watch students rehearsing and to see the visual arts gallery.

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A story
Phare Ponleu Selpak was founded in 1994 by Cambodian refugees returning from the Thai border camps, some of whom had learned basic circus arts from a French NGO worker during the camp years. The school was established partly as therapy — working with traumatised children through the arts — and grew into one of the most acclaimed performing arts schools in Southeast Asia. Its circus graduates now perform at Siem Reap's Phare Big Top and internationally.