Bassak: a synthetic form of Khmer theatre
The bassak theatre (lokhaon bassak) that originated in the 1920s in the community of ethnic Khmers in South Vietnam is a unique synthetic form of art and is the result of elements of musical, vocal and dance art of Cambodia and Vietnam fusion. The success of the bassak theatre for long years has been determined by two major factors: on the one hand, the novelty of the scenic form oriented to a very wide audience and, on the other, its appurtenance to the system of traditional aesthetic values of the peoples of South East Asia.