Episode 1 | 4m 38s | Video has closed captioning.
The Khmer Arts Academy in Long Beach, California, aims to produce youth leaders through immersion in Cambodia’s traditional arts. For Mealyann, dance acts as a bridge between home, school, and her own goals. Produced by Christen Hepuakoa Marquez, Paradocs Films for the CPB/PBS Producers Workshop Collection
Aired: 08/18/13
(Cambodian music playing) MEALYANN SAING: When I am dancing, I am becoming a whole new different person, this apsara, this celestial dancer.
And I feel that I am not just Mealyann from Long Beach.
I'm this goddess from heaven that's coming down to earth and showing the world that this is Cambodia, this is where we came from.
Six cents is your change... Hi, my name is Mealyann Saing.
I am 17 years old, and I go to Long Beach Poly High School.
My Dad's side owns six restaurants in Long Beach.
It's a family business.
Growing up, I am expected to take on a restaurant business.
I really have to think about when my dad retires or my uncle retires.
Who's going to be the next person to take this over?
The people that I go to school with think I'm, like, this rich girl.
They think that I don't work for what I have.
I feel like I have to focus and make sure that I don't give a bad name to the family.
When my parents got divorced, I felt that the attention that I used to get from my parents wasn't there anymore.
And I kind of went on to a rebellious state.
I kind of got lost.
And I feel like that life, that party life, is such a big distraction in high school.
I am glad I stopped before things got too extreme.
Dancing was really important to me at the time.
It was just something that I can do to start fresh.
It was like a meditation for me to find out who I am again and what I wanted to do with my life.
PRUMSODUN OK: When I'm training my dancers, I'm not just sculpting their body.
You really have to sharpen the lens that they use to see the world with.
For me, you know, yes, dance is a physical activit to stay healthy, but it's also a means of youth development, of leadership development.
It takes a long time to put on these costumes, because, you know, it's not just about looking pretty.
It's about transforming into the divine, elevating yourself from the mundane to the divine.
When I think of our young students, you know, who come from inner city Long Beach, the harshness in that reality, you know, it's really kind of beautiful to see that transformation, see that transition.
Our classes develop well-rounded, confident, skilled Cambodian-American young females who can have a positive change for herself, her families, and her community.
MEALYANN: Spiritually and mentall it builds my self-confidence up in a good way.
Dance clears my mind and helps me focus.
After that, when I go home and do my homework or something, like, I really pay attention.
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