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Tiny Toones from Cambodia

Tiny Toones from Cambodia

In 2005, Tuy Sobil opened his house to a group of young children who were living and working on the streets near him. Tuy himself had just returned to Phnom Penh after spending much of his life in refugee camps in Thailand and later in gang-infested parts of Los Angeles. After a criminal sentence in the US, he was deported back to Cambodia in 2004. Soon rumors started that he had been a break dancer in AmericaS and as a result more and more kids began to knock on his door for lessons. His house thus became an informal community center and the heart of a veritable hip-hop movement that involves hundreds of children and youth. Today, Tuy’s performance group is also beginning to attract international attention. With the help of the Prince Claus Fund, which structurally supports the group, ICAF is proud to create space for Tiny Toones’ spectacular European debut. This energetic dance performance conveys the personal stories of those involved, their difficult backgrounds on the streets of Phnom Penh, and how dance helped them to change their lives.