巴戎寺著名的佛面微笑－「高棉的微笑」－是吳哥時期以來柬埔寨傳統文化的象徵之一，類似的微笑也是今日柬埔寨宮廷舞蹈／舞劇舞者表演時的標誌性面容，正如佛面微笑中幽微的精神性，柬埔寨宮廷舞者臉上近似無表情的微笑亦呈現難以捉摸的魅力。柬埔寨宮廷舞蹈／舞劇最受矚目之處，莫過於其濃厚的宗教精神性以及精緻與高度技巧性的藝術形式，在宗教逐漸滑向社會文化邊緣的現代世界裡，該藝術中原初的宗教精神性逐漸模糊，轉化為具美感性質的精神性，並成為該藝術表演者在日常訓練中一種廣泛且深具影響力的心理作用，此不僅成為當代宮廷舞者重要的想像脈絡，也是其表演之精神性的來源。本文從討論柬埔寨宮廷舞蹈／舞劇的形式元素出發，特別是兩個核心結構元素－kbach和手勢－以及動作能量來源，探究當代柬埔寨宮廷舞蹈／舞劇之精神性的實質內容，並分析這些精神內容是如何透過其動作互為表裡的展現出來。此外，在二十世紀下半宮廷舞蹈／舞劇雖歷經君權體制到現代政治體制的轉變、以及赤柬時期對傳統文化毀滅性的破壞，其藝術技巧及精神性卻相對完好的被延續下來，此有賴於該藝術在傳遞傳統藝術技巧和精神性時的口頭傳授方式，本文亦將探討宮廷舞蹈／舞劇如何透過其口傳方式以及神聖化的師徒制來保存其藝術形式和精神性。

＂The Smile of Khmer＂- the famous smile on giant Buddha faces in Bayon- is one of the most notable Cambodian cultural emblems. A similar smile can also be found in the performance of Cambodian court dance drama. While dancing, Cambodian court dancers constantly exhibit a motionless, veiled, and mysterious smile with subtle spiritual implications, as in the Smile of Khmer. Cambodian court dance drama has long been revered for its spiritual root in religion, and highly praised for its refined techniques. However, into modern society, the dominant force of religion has waned, and the spiritual characteristics of Cambodian dance drama, which were originally religiously oriented, have been transformed into secular matters mainly related to aesthetics. It is aesthetics rather than religion that offers dancers in contemporary times a context for imagination during training as well as the source of spirituality while performing Cambodian court dance drama. Through close examination of formal characteristics of Cambodian court dance drama, including kbach and hand gesture- two major structural elements- and the energy of dance movement, this article can then unearth the substantial meaning of the dance movement with emphasis on its spiritual overtones. In addition, owing to the apprenticeship in oral transmission, the techniques of the dance drama remain nearly intact until today, despite drastic social-political changes since 1950s and severe destruction of the dance drama itself during the late 1970s. This article will discuss how the techniques of the dance drama have been preserved and how spirituality of the dance drama has been renewed through the tradition of oral transmission.