And that's a wrap! Another year and another incredible group of dancers have graduated from the Igniting Legends program!
Under the guidance of L2R’s Youth Arts Coordinator, David Prakash, this year we were able to support FOUR young creatives through an intensive paid internship to explore their voice, identity and connection to community via their respective dance styles.
Established in 2018, Igniting Legends was developed to nurture emerging talents in the creative arts. The program aims to create employment pathways, develop artistic skills and philosophies, and kindle career aspirations for up-and-coming street dancers within the creative arts industries.
Ian Fasil is a Singaporean dancer currently based in Melbourne. In 2017, Ian joined a street dance crew "Foreign Bodies" and has since explored various styles of street dance including Hip-Hop, House, Dancehall and found a love for Litefeet. In 2023, he moved to Melbourne to further his studies and has embedded himself in the local dance community.
Sannie discovered her passion for street dance in late 2020 when she joined a Hip-Hop foundation program in Malaysia, led by Heng Ling and Brian Green. This fuelled her desire to explore street dance, alongside a curiosity about how the body engages with music. After moving to Melbourne in 2022, she continued refining her skills and delved into the cultural and social significance of street dance. Sannie is currently a member of BurnCity Litefeet (crew UPDOG), Gambit, and PDHT.
Simone is a Thai-Seychellois artist born and raised in Naarm. Her dance journey began in 2005, with traditional Thai folk dancing. In high school, Simone discovered contemporary dance, alongside a passion for street dance forms. Since 2020, Simone has been developing a distinctive style intertwining Afro, Dancehall, classical and street dance forms. Simone is passionate about the importance of learning the roots and foundations of dance forms with rich culture, and advocates as an ally within Dancehall and Afro dance spaces. She is a mentor for youth group Culture Queenz where she teaches foundations and history in Jamaican Dancehall and Afro Dance.
Estee, a movement artist born in Kuching, Malaysia, now residing in Melbourne, is the Director of KinATe, a team based in Kuching. She maintains a strong connection with her team while actively seeking opportunities to foster the growth of the dance community both here and back in Malaysia.
Igniting Legends is designed not only to support these young participants in taking on leadership roles within L2R but also to empower them to contribute to the broader street dance community and beyond. With a focus on ensuring diversity and representation, the program has become an integral part of the organisation, shaping future leaders to be reflective of the communities they engage with.
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝟐𝐑 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.” – Simone
It has been a privilege to be a part of the creative journey of these emerging artists and we are excited to see what extraordinary opportunities come next!
L2R's Igniting Legends Program 2024 is supported by the Bank of Melbourne Foundation and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body
Photos by Nam Chops
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