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Minnesota Buddhist temple opens up sacred dance troupe

Statues of Buddha and the stupa housing his relics are seen at dusk at the Watt Munisotaram temple complex on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. Cambodian refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge's killing fields started this community four decades ago, and are seeking ways to engage younger, U.S.-born generations in their ancestral spirituality and culture. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Venerable Vicheth Chum walks down from the upper room of Watt Munisotaram temple on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. Started by Cambodian refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge's killing fields four decades ago, the religious community is seeking to engage younger, U.S.-born generations in their ancestral spirituality and culture. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Statues of Buddha sit in the snow-covered grounds of the Watt Munisotaram temple complex on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. Spread on 40 acres in the Minnesota farmland, the religious community started by Cambodian refugees is seeking to engage younger, U.S.-born generations in their ancestral spirituality and culture. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Venerable Vicheth Chum reads from a sacred text in Pali and Cambodian in the upper room of Watt Munisotaram temple on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. Started by Cambodian refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge's killing fields four decades ago, the religious community is seeking to engage younger generations in their ancestral spirituality and culture. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Theravada Buddhist monks from Watt Munisotaram temple lead the faithful in chanting on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. Dozens gathered at the large complex in the middle of the Minnesota farmland to celebrate Magha Puja, a holiday marking the gathering of 1,250 of Buddha's first disciples. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

A woman prays in front of an altar in the ceremonial hall of Watt Munisotaram temple on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. The religious community, founded by Cambodian refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime four decades ago, celebrated the Buddhist holiday of Magha Puja with processions and chanting in Khmer. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Garrett Sour coaches two fellow Wattanak Dance Troupe dancers during sacred dance rehearsals in their studio on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Minneapolis. Steeped in Buddhist, Hinduist and Animist spirituality, each pose and movement in traditional Cambodian dance relates to sacred storytelling. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

From left, Gabriella Sour, Sabrina Sok and Garrett Sour rehearse traditional, sacred Cambodian dances in the Wattanak Dance Troupe studio on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Minneapolis. Seeking to keep ties to both Buddhism and ancestral culture vibrant for new generations, the troupe, which started in the Buddhist temple of Watt Munisotaram, issued its first open enrollment call this winter. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

The Venerable Vicheth Chum looks at the large Cambodian-made paintings of Buddha's life in the upper room of Watt Munisotaram temple on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. “Very important to have, and to keep our ancestral tradition even when moved to (Minnesota),” said Chum, who came to the United States more than 20 years ago from Cambodia. “Buddhist teaching is practice for peace and happiness, no matter the nation.” (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Monks carrying candles process in front of an altar at Watt Munisotaram to mark the Buddhist holiday of Magha Puja on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Hampton, Minn. The 10 monks at this temple deep in the Minnesota farmland practice Theravada, one of the oldest forms of Buddhism rooted in Cambodian and other Southeast Asian traditions. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

The Buddhist temple of Watt Munisotaram is seen on snow-covered farmland in Hampton, Minn., on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Started by Cambodian refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge's killing fields four decades ago, it's evolved into a 40-acre complex whose community is seeking to strengthen ties with younger generations. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

Minnesota Buddhist temple opens up sacred dance troupe