The Ripple Effect
Epic Arts Dance takes the stage at Disability Week 2026
Two inclusive performances, an exhibition and panel discussions, all focused on one question: how do we make sure persons with disabilities are part of the conversation, not just the audience?
On Saturday 3 October, Epic Arts Dance travelled to Phnom Penh to perform The Ripple Effect at Ponlok Chomnes Presents: Disability Performance Day, the closing event of Disability Week 2026. The day brought together art, lived experience and conversation on disability inclusion, with performances, an exhibition and panel discussions at the Sun & Moon Riverside Hotel.
Disability Week 2026 was supported by the Australian Government through the Ponlok Chomnes II: Data and Dialogue for Development in Cambodia program..
A week for inclusive research, communication and dialogue
Disability Week ran from 30 September to 3 October with one clear aim: to make research, communication and policy dialogue in Cambodia more inclusive. It created space for persons with disabilities and their organisations to share their experiences and recommendations, and to be seen as what they are: knowledge holders, advocates, leaders and contributors to Cambodia's development.
Performance Day put the arts at the centre of that conversation. Lakhon Komnit Organization opened with Independence, followed by Epic Arts Dance with The Ripple Effect.
The Ripple Effect
While the wider day explored disability inclusion across research, communication and dialogue, our performance had a clear focus: climate change and disability. The Ripple Effect explores how one small choice can change what happens next, and how persons with disabilities are often the most affected when floods and storms hit, yet the least likely to be included in plans to prepare for them.
Before the performance began, the dance team taught the audience 10 Cambodian Sign Language signs, all linked to climate change and all woven into the choreography. When those signs appeared on stage, the audience could recognise them and follow the story through the movement itself. It turned the audience from watchers into participants, and guests told us afterwards how much they loved it.
Performed by our company of dancers with and without disabilities, it was a chance to share that message with researchers, policymakers, development partners and community leaders from across Cambodia, and with the programme delivered in Khmer, English and Cambodian Sign Language, it reached everyone in the room.
From the stage to the panel
Our panel discussion followed the performance and picked up the same theme: climate change and persons with disabilities in Cambodia. Moderated by Po Sakun, Epic Arts' Inclusion and Access Officer, the panel brought together three voices:
· Kim Socheat, dancer with Epic Arts Dance
· Nget Chanthara, Head of the Office of Social Affairs and Social Welfare, Teuk Chhou District, Kampot
· Kong Buntheoun, Deputy Governor of Kampot City
Having an artist from Epic Arts Dance on the same stage as local government leaders matters. Persons with disabilities are rarely asked how disaster preparedness should work for them. Bringing those voices together, in public, is how that starts to change.
Inclusion Beyond Words
Beyond the stage, the Inclusion Beyond Words exhibition gave guests space to listen and reflect. Epic Arts shared case studies from our Climate Resilience for All project, which worked with persons with disabilities in Kampot to understand how climate change affects their lives and what support they need.
One of those stories belongs to Kimsour, a young woman with a visual impairment from Ta Ong Village. As a child she lived through flooding without knowing where safe, higher ground could be found. Today she is speaking up for change.
“People with disabilities need to receive information and support so that we can prepare for natural disasters and protect ourselves. I also want opportunities to learn skills and earn an income for my family.”
Kimsour, Kampot
Conversations that keep going
For the Epic Arts team, the day was as much about the conversations as the performance.
“Disability Performance Day was a powerful reminder of what happens when persons with disabilities are on the stage and on the panel, not just in the audience. I spoke with so many people, from researchers and development partners to local officials, who want to see disability inclusion move forward in Cambodia. Those conversations are where the real ripple effect begins.”
Samantha McLaughlan, Fundraising and Marketing Manager, Epic Arts
Thank you to Ponlok Chomnesand the Australian Government for bringing everyone together, to Lakhon Komnit Organization for sharing the stage, and to our panellists and every guest who joined us.
“Because inclusion isn't something we celebrate for one week and then shelve until next year. It's something we build, practise and celebrate every day.”
Ponlok Chomnes
Want to bring Epic Arts Dance to your event, school or organisation? Get in touch at dance@epicarts.org.uk.
Disability Week 2026 was supported by the Australian Government through the Ponlok Chomnes II: Data and Dialogue for Development in Cambodia program. Photos: Epic Arts and Ponlok Chomnes.