The Natyarasa Dance Company – Cambodia’s first all-gay all-male dance troupe – performed interpretations of classical Khmer dance at the U.S. Embassy on Monday. Natyarasa was founded by Cambodian-American dancer Prumsodun Ok.

“I want to serve the arts and elevate the cultural awareness of the Khmer culture,” said Ok, 29, who was born in Long Beach, California, but moved to Phnom Penh last year.

He founded the five-member dance company in part to improve the quality of life and understanding for members of the LGBT community.

“Love produces the highest art,” said Ok, who first visited Cambodia in 2008. “In our world LGBT people are victimized … art can help change that.”