Cambodia’s centuries-old tradition of masked dance was almost completely lost during the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge. But a small number of people have managed to keep the ancient art alive. Now, they are passing it down to a new generation. The Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 after a bloody, five-year civil war. During the Communist group’s rule, it opposed education and religion and banned Cambodia’s traditional arts and written language. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians were killed in the four years the Khmer Rouge was in power. The deaths were mostly caused by starvation, overwork, disease, execution or torture. Among the victims were artists, writers and dancers.