Our Story

In 1980 a group of refugees were sponsored by families in Middle Tennessee to seek sanctuary here. This group was some of the original Royal Lao Classical Dancers who performed in Laos. Their art was their salvation and key to a new home. In 1996, the founder of our current organization, Bangthong Chindavanh and her husband decided to teach our traditions and culture to their children by creating RLCD.  What once started as a small troupe, made up of the founder's children and relatives, has grown exponentially with dancers ranging from ages 4-22. We are pleased that these dancers show up every weekend with big hearts filled with determination and dedication to perfecting their craft and preserving the Lao culture.