L2R Dance
- Oct 2, 2023
- 3 min read

Igniting Legends Mentorships

‘Igniting Legends’ mentorship program is an 8-week partnership between an Igniting Legends participant and a selected industry professional. The partnership allows our Legends to get up close and personal with their mentor and build ongoing, lasting professional relationships. Introducing the first partnership - @ooshcon x @lilantagonize Embedded in love and devoted to flow - @ooshcon is a Samoan ‘decipher of circles’, who specialises in free-body methodologies. The core belief ‘ina ia sosolo le alofa / so love may flow’ is imbued into Ooshcon’s evolving practice and way of being. Ooshcon’s work is grounded and actualised through the forms and philosophies of Waving Dance culture, Krump Dance culture, Animation Dance, Geometric Dance, Breath-work and Character/Entity-building. Ooshcon embraces these forms with emotional rigour and innovative theatrical practices in pursuit of ‘formlessness’. Aleena Panagopoulos AKA @lilantagonize began her dance journey in 2010 and has been invested in the genre of Krump since 2018. From 2018-19, Aleena co-facilitated @zerosessions in Melbourne, dedicated to creating a safe environment for women who want to explore Krump. In 2018, she worked with photographer Rachel Main (@shuttermain) for the ‘Women Who Buck’ exhibition, where she was able to expand her skills in choreography. Aleena also collaborated with Jennifer Ma (@jm_collaborators) and @shuttermain on ‘SURFACE’, through Brimbank City Council. Aleena’s dance journey has also brought her many opportunities to compete, and often win, local street dance events.

1. Photo credit: Holly Burgess 2. Photo credit: @nam.chops

Our next Igniting Legends partnership is @fezshaheen X @axlema

Born in Dubai to Palestinian parents and moving to Western Sydney at age 11, Feras Shaheen is an artist working with choreography, installation work, film, performance, digital media, and street dance to communicate his ideas. With a Bachelor of Design from Western Sydney University, Feras often subverts traditional relationships between mediums to challenge audience perspectives. He was the winner of The Australian Ballet’s Telstra Emerging Choreographer in 2021 and has performed and exhibited at Carriageworks, Venice Biennale, Kampnagel, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.

Amelia Minh Vu is a Vietnamese-Australian dancer based in Melbourne who recently began her exploration in dance in 2021. Since joining a dance club in university, she has grown her connection to the Melbourne street dance community, and has explored various dance styles including hip hop, popping and litefeet. With her newfound interest in street dance, her wish is to venture into more dance styles and explore the more creative performative aspects of dance.

1. Photo credit: Jean-Pierre Mattos

2. Photo credit: @nam.chops

The final 'Igniting Legends' partnership is @magg._z X @kihmo_q

MaggZ is a Naarm-based queer Chinese movement artist, creative director and producer. Traversing street dance battles, performances, creative direction and producing, MaggZ’s practice centres agency, aspiring to honour the authentic lived experience through transdisciplinary collaboration.

Kihmo Quintela is a Filipino movement artist based in Naarm who grew up in Brimbank with a passion for movement improvisation, choreography, battling and performance. Since delving into his practice in 2018, Kihmo has explored various movement forms including Hip Hop freestyle, Popping, House, Krump, choreography, martial arts, and contemporary dance in order to discover an authentic “freestyle'' form of expression. He currently represents street dance crews, I.M Yugen and Frqncy, and continues to advocate for accessibility of street dance to beginners.