Yeekae or Yike is another form of Khmer Entertainment. The show is always starts with dance called Homrong. It is sort of a ritual to request god of art and performance a permission to perform, to cleanse the stage from evil acts, and to lead the show to be successful.

 “Yeekae” (some people spell it “Yike”) is basically a musical drama by which a story is told through songs enhanced by elaborate footstep dances. Yeekae music is emphasized by a sound of Yeekae drum (a bass sound) and led by a low-pitch fiddle. Most songs are preceded by a chorus serving as an introduction to the scene, a segment of the story. They also end with a chorus, a conclusion of the scene. Some chorus lyric has nothing to do with the story. They are just the style of the song. Songs are divided into three categories: a melody that expresses a feeling or sadness, an upbeat and happy tune, a conversational dialog. Yeekae producer needs to use appropriate song style based on how the story goes in the performance segment. For instance, the melody type is used when the character of the story is feeling sad; the happy tune is appropriate if the character is traveling through a forest or boating along a river; when characters are conversing to each other, whether it is a happy tone, commanding tone, or an angry tone, the conversational type would be composed.

Homromg example 1:

 Here is a Yeekae Mak Theung performed by Cambodian Community Day volunteers at Ben Brenman park, Alexandrid Virginia, USA. This is to illustrate the yeekae type of Khmer tradition entertainment.

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• yeekae
• khmer traditional entertainment
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