Southeast Asian Community Blog

Andrew Mam aka “A-Game”

aalimelight:

A-Game at UC Berkeley as he is is interviewed by AA Limelight


A-Game (Hybrid/SEC) & Midus (OSA/SEC) in the Furious Styles 18th Anniversary Open Styles Competition at Arizona State University. November 18, 2011.

Who are you:
My name is Andrew Mam, in different field’s I’m known as A-Game, Primarily inside hip-hop and inside the bboy community. I’m a Cambodian American from San Jose, California. I represent the Mam family, I represent Hybrid Crew and Style Elements and just, all the people who’ve made an impact on my life living to this point in my life cause that’s who I am, I’m them and they are I.

What are you:
What am I? I don’t know. I’m a small speck in the universe! Nah, but I am. I’m a Cambodian American. And I’m a student at UC Berkeley. I’m a dancer, I’m a writer, I’m a poet. I’m Andrew Mam. I do me you know? I just like being passionate, I like having something to love you know.

Where am I?:
I’m at UC Berkeley. Berkeley, California, the Bay AREA. I’m originally from San Jose and I like to tell people that the Bay is the best area in the world because you never find any place like it. I seen a lot of foreign lands, a lot of different places, all beautiful, all have great things to them but there ain’t no place like the bay man. The Bay’s the illest. It’s like—this is home.

What are you all about?
Conviction. Like when someone introduced to me what the word conviction meant. To act with conviction with full feeling, with full force and full passion behind what you do, I wanted to have conviction behind everything I did and I wanted to whole-heartedly do what I wanted to do and to act that. And that extends in different fields: with dance, with writing, with you know speaking to someone inside a conversation. If I’m going to tell someone about something that’s important to me, then I’m going to speak with conviction, I’m going to speak with full force and feeling. Such that they understand not only the general concept of talking inside the verbal sense, but also the spiritual, the emotional sense that I put behind what I’m trying to say that time. When I’m dancing, the emotional, spiritual sense of what I’m trying to put behind what I’m moving with the music at that time. Also, it’s all about representing your peoples man. Trying to stay humble, trying to stay representative of who you are, the people that have made you who you are. Like Cambodians, Cambodian-Americans, hiphop, boys, emcees, biters, deejays, cool kids, drug addicts, weirdoes, lots of weirdoes—lots of weird strange people but they’re ’re also brilliant in their own way you know. Just for all the things that they taught me, you know whether they done something negative that I said alright that’s bad I’m not going to do that—and they taught me something you know—I represent that too. And I’m just trying to represent for the people who made me who I am, and I always try to give out props to my roots. If i forget where those are and then I just become a tall tree that withers and dies. By increasing change in the world you can just continue to stay small asa humble tree let your roots and nutrients are really well fed. You last further in time.

Why Dance?
Dance? Why not? *Chuckle* I don’t man, fucking dance is—every loves dancing. It’s just a certain select few who are given the circumstances you know by birth lottery, by location lottery, whatever where they are, you know, certain circumstances with people that they met that they just choose to keep dancing and make it something in pursuit further. For myself, picking up dance learning to become, learning the ways of the bboy, being exposed to Hip-Hop culture, freestyle dancers, from a very young age I just saw something that I like. And me being a nerd—a nerd meaning someone who loves something—I sort of like picked up on it and kept digging in deeper and deeper. And then  it stopped becoming about moves and started becoming about history and then  it stopped becoming about history it started becoming about feeling and then it stopped becoming about feeling and it started becoming about experience and then you fall in this going down the rabbit hole of exploring this thing of what’s important to you and you began to find more and more—just like a tree, it keeps branching it out. You find its roots and you see why the branches go up the tree they do, because those roots are intertwined. And you look at it from a socio, cultural, political, economic, etc., berkeley fill in word to add on and you start digging at it from all these different angles and it becomes more and more beautiful. And at the end of the day it’s like why not dance. From the civil question of why dance? And complex analyses and journeys and experiences one has to go. At the end of the day, I sit down with some body and just chop it up with someone and say “Aw, that move is fresh” it’s just why not dance. Enjoy, love it, celebrate life as it is in that moment in time when that music is playing in that moment in time. Be present, be mindful and it’s like meditation and you’ll be healthier for it in the end.

What keeps you going?
Love. Abstract concept but love the people I met, loving the dance, the dance loving me. Yeah man, that’s the true answer like that. My body’s keeping up with me. Eventually it could eventually crash and break down. I’m definitely going to get a serious injury in the future—hopefully not in the near future—but I think that it’s inevitable. Not that breaking is really that bad for you cause then must people don’t suffer acute break your leg type injuries. It’s most like wear and tear like dwindling maniscish inside your knee or your joints are getting a little weak and sore after if you don’t take care of them. Not warming up properly, straining muscles and stuff but however long my body can sustain me. The people who I mention in my last answer, love all the cats, who I love and they share love with me, they’re older and they love me. They’re in their 40s and they’re killing it. Poe One, Alien Ness, Ken Swift, these cats are fucking still monster, they’re mad, they’re not that old, but they’re old considering what people consider what we’re supposed to be doing or what they’re supposed doing at that age. But they’re still killing it. They’re still moving like 18 year old which is blowing peoples minds. When I see that I’m like alright you know. Alright Poe, you had like 5-6 knee surgeries—I think I can deal with two or three if that were the case. I mean that’s not want t I would I would love to continue to have and to keep my lovely knees but love keeps pushing me to do it. If I couldn’t dance. I’d be a much worse person—I’d probably be an asshole—be irritated. Not that bad but I wouldn’t be as happy as I am that’s for sure.

What are your goals?
Goals? Concretely, Make a contribution to the dance in the community outside the world of dancing. Because I was blessed with a brain and a smart set of parents and an amazing older sister who all instilled in me this value of the intellect and to not utilize one’s intellect would waste away such a beautiful thing. You can harness it, you can keep building it you can keep it sharp by giving it new challenges. If I were to live my life dancing all the time I don’t that would fulfill me as much as I want to knowing that I would want to have an intellectual contribution to the world. And in the most simples of sense in trying to keep humble I just want to make a contribution. Writing for instance. Academic, I’m actually writing something right now. I’m writing a paper to put out for publishing just about an analysis of they history especially after the 1980s. And just to be able to give that—to share, to let scholars in the future reach into this time period, through that paper or reach—use me as a source to keep building. Because I know in 15 years, someone, some kid is going to see and understand the importance of the history of the dance and be like “holy shit, this is amazing, like how is no one doing any research on this, how is there not a world wide phenomenon—which it is already but underground, how is it not you know that praised. And that person is going to look, go into Oski-Cat, type in breakdancing, bboy, Hip-Hop, Ken-Swift, Style Elements Crew, and they’re going to type that in and hopefully my paper would show up and hopefully I can blow someone’s mind 12 years in the future the same way people have blown my my mind 9-10 years after dancing. And that’s one goal I mean I got a lot of other goals but that’s the most immediate one. And I guess the second important goal is to keep that goal going—it’s love man. Keep loving the dance, keep sharing it with people.

What are your thoughts of being an Asian-American in the Limelight?
I was very blessed to have a good conception of my identity through two organizations in particular, SASC the Southeast Asian Student Coalition through recommendation of my sister and my good friend Larry Bach who I haven’t kicked it with in awhile—he’s traveling a lot right now. He said “Yo join up SASC, it’s an amazing experience” and I went there, blew my mind for a week. Concepts of identity, decolonizing the mind, understanding your history, situating oneself in history, situating yourself in the present day and how that makes you who you are. And also connecting with Southeast Asian folks and just learning to feel that pride in the same way that they do. Also the other group is APALI the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute at DeAnza. I’m a DeAnza transfer. I did that course with Professor Chang. Met a lot of great people, went through similar concepts but just a little more politicized and how to situate oneself in the current political system to really get people mobilized in a political front. and though I never followed up with both of those groups, I never took a step towards organizing cause I felt like most of time at Berkeley exploring myself and dancing, and studying, drinking coffee and studying, and studying and studying. I still carry them deep with me, everyday—even to the bboy world. Hip-Hop itself is a very open culture that accepts all races and the only thing that really matters is that level of respect. Other thing that matters is the level of skill. If you got skills, if you fresh, and you kill it, you get respect. Doesn’t matter what class, what color, what creed what religion, if you’re Palestinian, Israeli, if you’re North Korean, South Korean, the only thing that matters is if you’re fresh—you will get respect, that’s it. So, I carry that with me and as a part of how I dance.

I like to dance with Cambodian influences. I was thinking about this recently, a lot of Cambodian like—I used to associate Cambodian dance only with the Apsara, with the very delicate feminine, very royal and regal and court culture, but then I Realized when I thought back to all the Cambodian New Years, half of the dances are all hell funny jokes—just like laughing. Like we did this one called Cham-Um. We were playing the drums like *imitates sounds of drums*. There was a guy that would be singing and chanting—when I was a kid I don’t remember Khmer that well but he was singing. What he was singing about meeting a girl, and just trying to hit at a girl—and just try to holler at this chick. And just being mad coy, sly, like they have these little nuances of women—like aiyaaiya. And just like clowning ya know. And I myself am kinda of a goofy guy, I like being a clown, I like just bugging out and dancing, and having fun like that. And I used to think, “oh it has to all be poetic and serious” but at the same time I’m just dancing like “Aiya, aiya”. You know, just kicking it—trying to make people laugh—just celebrating. Cause that’s farming culture just like kicking it. And then for me to take that and have people like “Oh yo, this fools a clown, that was fresh though” that’s their reaction, that’s all I really want. And taking that with them, that’s just spreading love and positivity through that dance move in particular, but that’s from my culture, that’s from Cambodian culture, that’s from Cambodian New Year, that’s from me learning how to do play Chay Am singing whatever I was singing and do some of the dances when I was like age 10 through 12 . And I carry that with me and that’s part of my pride. And at the same time, like being Asian American in the Lime Light in the sense of presenting myself in a way of racially diverse world as someone upstanding fighting against stereotypes of being emasculated and being more feminine than masculine and trying not to define myself through western masculine constructs and just being able to defy that and to surprise people.That I could you know talk with somebody like “Y’all you know what I’m saying’” I might be saying it, it comes out natural to me but at the same time I can go into a professional setting and talk like this in a very eloquent way and you know not fake the funk.

And to be able to carry myself in that matter and if I can carry myself in that matter then I myself am immediately upon meeting someone breaking whatever stereotypes they’re trying to place on me because they don’t understand 5’10, brown male, who wears colorful clothing and you know, walks with a certain swagger. And I enjoy that part because I used to suffer a view of looking down of myself because I was Asian American. And I was like man, I don’t see myself in movies, I don’t’ see myself even like Adult Entertainment, I dont’s see myself inside imagery and advertisements, I’ve never seen like a strong Asian Male. Like in Romeo Must Die. Remember Romeo Must Die? Jet Li and Aaliyah. The actual film had Jet Li making out with Aaliyah at the very end like yeah, they’re in love. And then when they showed that to films to the audiences, audiences didn’t like it so they cut it out. Like if I can see Jet Li make out with Aailiyah as a young kid I be like yeah I can get Aaliyah too. And like just give me that boosts of confidence you know. But we don’t really get that, I mean it’s a very superficial, on the surface victory but sometimes you need superficial victories like even especially with Jeremy Lin. People talk about how that’s like a superficial, on the surface, that do we really need a what’s his name Russel Young? He posted something on how he’s just like an Asian American who looks like Asian Americans so Asian Americans finally have a hero. And people don’t really respect things that are deeper than him and people are saying they’re overplaying him—he says—but at the same time you don’t really get that many victories. So I myself try to carry myself in the same sense. That hopefully I can inspire someone to say “Screw all the stereotypes, screw the movies, screw all that shit, you are who you are becauseI of who yoga re inside, you are who you are because of all the steps that you take to improve yourself, to craft yourself, to absorb knowledge like a sponge and experience with it and be willing to fail and  just fail miserably, millions times so yiuo can succeed the next day. And that’s really what it is, being Asian American male, being Asian American, just be willing to fail and to defy people and then the next day when you learn something, apply it and keep applying it. and then it becomes this natural habitat of who you are and then you just elevate and keep ascending and you don’t have to worry about the same shit anymore and continue on, live your life and be awesome

What are some final thoughts?
Push hard man. IF there’s someone who’s watching this who really wants to get into—like  they’re passionate about something but they’r e afraid: push hard. Honestly the best way to figure out if you really want to do something. This may be a very specific example, I wouldn’t necessarily apply this over to every single field but in most cases sometimes the best thing is to jump in the pool and try to swim. If you really think you might ilke this, like you think you might like dancing to a certain, or maybe you just want to learn how to dance, if you really want to try something then really you just have to jump into it and just try it and fail miserably and fail fucking hard, fail so hard, fail so hard that it, that it kinda hurts inside but then you know, that’s how you know you like something that you really grow to love something, if you really want to love something, you have to fail so hard at it, so hard  and be like alright, just try again. And just Keep going, keep failing and keep succeeding. It’s like you got to keep failing to succeed man. And if you’re thinking you want to reach this level when you’re right here, and you know you’re at this level but you’re like you want to be here but you never failed to get up how are you going to get up there, how are you going to reach the next level. That’s the most general advice I give to anybody. That’s courage man. Courage isn’t the act of being praised for being courageous, courage is the act of failing before some praises you for being courageous. Courage isn’t when you’re next to a hot girl and you see somebody being mugged and you’re like “Imma stop this person” and you stop the person from being mugged. Courage is when you’re just chilling and you seeing someone being mugged and you’re like, that’s wrong. Imma try to stop that. That’s you. Courage is yourself for being able to take that step. Really put yourself out there in terms of doing the things that you feel are right for yourself and your core then you know, act of courage man, doesn’t need praise from anybody. Courage starts from you. And eventually someone will recognize it.

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Andrew Mam, aka “A-Game”, is a Cambodian-American b-boy, dancer, writer, explorer and lover of life from San Jose, California. Since 2006, he has represented Hybrid Crew of San Jose, bringing the name and the honor of his friends with him across varied cities and nations around the world, including many countries in Europe, Asia, and South America. In August of 2011, he was inducted officially into the legendary Style Elements Crew, whose west coast and global legacy still reverberate today in the global b-boy scene. He is a student in his final year of undergraduate study at University of California, Berkeley with a major in Development Studies.

*This interview was transcribed from a video interview with Andrew at the University of California, Berkeley on the 5th floor balcony of Eshleman Hall.