Urban Khmer Ballet (UKB) is a grassroots collective of Khmer-American dancers founded by Chummeng Soun & Peter Veth to serve as a creative expression platform for Khmer-American dancers to examine the following; 1) technical & professional training; 2) expressive & contemporary exploration.

As co-founder of Urban Khmer Ballet (UBK), one of Lowell’s most vertical dance troupes, we challenge traditional boundaries through contemporary practice. Our work, celebrated as Reclaiming Imagination, embodies the evolving Cambodian identity and has been featured at music and art festivals and conferences. As a cross-disciplinary creator, I draw from interconnected understandings of humanity, history, nature, and folklore. My holistic approach to developing new work in the performing arts has inspired many creative Khmae Americans to embrace social change.

UKB's mission is to articulate the renegotiation of place for the diaspora in Cambodian dance in order to post the question – What the future might hold for Cambodia’s performing arts and culture in the diaspora?

UKB's vision is to create a space for the next generation of artists to explore their creative processes and creation of new work in response to the 21st-century contemporary vernacular. Instagram: @urban_khmer_ballet