PICH Sopheavy from Cambodia 
Seoul Section of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO
QPlease introduce yourself briefly.
My name is PICH Sopheavy and I am from Cambodia. I am a traditional coordinator and a dance teacher of the Phare Ponlue Sekpak Association.
QWhat activities did you do in SIDance?
I participated in many activities, including taking the Korean language class, attending workshops on Korean traditional dance, contemporary dance, and traditional music, and going on cultural field trips to Busan, etc.
QCould you tell us about the collaborative project you took part in specifically?
There were four CPI participants from all different countries: Cambodia, Columbia, Philippines, and Nigeria. We collaborated and created a new piece which runs 20 minutes. The piece was about the refugee and immigration crisis. We premiered the performance in SIDance 2018.
QWhat has left much to be desired?
Four of us spent most of our time on the project. You can imagine how challenging it is for four people from different backgrounds to work together. Whenever we faced challenges, we talked, discussed the matter at hand, and tried to do our best. Because of this, we did not have much free time or the opportunity to participate in all of the programs CPI offered.
QHow would you like to utilize the experience of the CPI program?
Since returning to my home country, I have shared my CPI experience with my colleagues in the organization. I would like to try to make efficient use of what I have accomplished in Korea during the CPI program. For example, these days I am writing my new work to create a new piece of contemporary dance. I hope that the CPI experience would have a positive influence not only on me and but also on my colleagues.
QPlease tell us your thoughts on participating in the program
Of course, the CPI program is a great program for exchanging and recognizing different cultures. It was a valuable experience as we had the opportunity to share our stories with members of different backgrounds as we worked and collaborated together in order to accomplish the project. Not only that, I was able to gain indispensable ability for my future career in the CPI program. For instance, as I had to collaborate with four participants, all of whom are from different countries and have different mother tongues, I learned how to communicate with various kinds of people. This ability will be essential and useful in my professional field, particularly in contemporary dance.
