Apsara dance (Robam Tep Apsara in Khmer) is the classical court dance form of Cambodia, performed for centuries in the royal palaces of the Khmer Empire. Dancers wear elaborate gilded costumes and headdresses, and the choreography is defined by extremely precise hand gestures (called mudras) and body postures — the fingers bent back at angles that require years of daily training from childhood. The art form was listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003, in part because it came close to extinction during the Khmer Rouge years, when the vast majority of classical dancers and teachers were killed.
Several venues in Siem Reap offer dinner-and-dance shows that are the standard tourist experience. Quality varies considerably: the best are at the Angkor Village Theatre (behind the Angkor Village Hotel) and at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, which has an outdoor performance on the lawn. The Cambodian Cultural Village on the airport road offers a larger but more theme-park style version. For something more authentic and smaller in scale, look for performances put on by dance schools or community organisations rather than hotel buffet evenings. Book in advance during peak season (November–March).