Born to Khmer refugees in the United States, Prumsodun Ok rose from the poverty and violence-stricken inner city of Long Beach, CA, to become the new face of Khmer dance. He uses art to heal, illuminate, and empower, reviving the spirit of his people from the enduring forces of conflict. Seen by many as a champion of Khmer culture, he works as an artist, teacher, writer, speaker, and producer to shape a world where everyone can blossom into their fullest selves. ​Ok’s interdisciplinary performances contemplate “the avant-garde in antiquity” and have been performed at Currents Festival, Phnom Penh; REDCAT’s NOW Festival, Los Angeles; Za-Koenji Public Theatre, Tokyo; Camping Asia, Taipei; and CTM Festival, Berlin, among others. They have been celebrated as “a vision of elegance and grace” (The Phnom Penh Post) and “Radical Beauty” (Bangkok Post). ​Ok is the recipient of grants and fellowships from TED, MAP Fund, Surdna Foundation, Dance/USA, National Dance Project, and Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, and he has been a guest speaker, choreographer, and instructor at the California Institute of the Arts; the University of California, Los Angeles; Santa Monica College; Rajabhat University, Bangkok; Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto; and the Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh. He is the founding Artistic Director of Prumsodun Ok & NATYARASA, Cambodia’s first gay dance company, which Channel NewsAsia describes as “one of the most revolutionary dance troupes in Cambodia . . . a dance troupe like no other.”​ Ok’s TED Talk and keynote speech at the Dance/USA 2019 Annual Conference received standing ovations, and the former has been translated into more than 20 languages and viewed millions of times across various platforms. He lives in Phnom Penh, where he pioneers work at the intersection and forefront of cultural preservation, artistic innovation, education, LGBTQ advocacy, and environmental stewardship. Ok sits on the executive committee of ខ្ញុំទទួលយក – I ACCEPT, Cambodia’s historic marriage-equality campaign.