Jacinda Richards
FOUNDER, CEO & Artistic Director
Jacinda is the Founder, CEO and Artistic Director of L2R Dance, which she established in 2009. Jacinda has extensive professional dance experience spanning many genres, including, jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, Latin and West African styles. Jacinda has had the opportunity to work as a dancer and choreographer both in Australia and internationally, including performances and workshops in remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley’s, Ghana and Korea.
Since 2009, Jacinda has worked as the Community Development Officer at Western English Language School (WELS) in both the Braybrook and Wyndham campuses where she is responsible for community outreach, fundraising and the design and development of the free afterschool activities program.
In 2014, Jacinda graduated from Deakin University with distinction, completing an Honors degree with her research project, The role of Hip Hop dance in young people’s sense of well-being. In 2019 her research was published, co-authored with Dr Sally Gardner in "Dance and the Quality of Life" edited by Professor Karen Bond and published by Springer, 2019. In January 2018, Jacinda was awarded the Brimbank Australian Day award - Educator of the Year.
Jacinda is committed to amplifying marginalised and creative voices to ensure the arts are enjoyed and representative of everyone who lives in Australia,
Efren Pamilacan
YOUTH ARTS & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Efren Pamilacan is a Melbourne based community arts worker and creative producer with Filipino heritage.
Having recently received a Masters in Art (Art in Public Space) from RMIT, Efren’s arts practice is informed by pedagogical methodologies that are rooted in Hip-Hop culture - hailing from internationally renowned freestyle street dance crew Jigsaw Sneakers.
As a producer and dance maker Efren’s work is diverse in content and form, working collaboratively in creating productions for site specific, new-media and stage. Recent works have been presented at Playhouse Theatre, Big West Festival, bOing! Festival (UK), Victoria’s Multicultural Art Festival and Dance Massive.
Efren will bring to L2R’s Igniting Legends program a wealth of knowledge and experience in hip hop based art as a longstanding subcultural participant in dance and as an advocate for the cultural development of the community in Australia.
Hëna Memishi
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & EVENTS COORDINATOR
Hëna Memishi is a professional movement artist of Albanian descent based in Naarm. She immerses herself in street dance and choreography and completed her formal studies of Performing Arts at Patrick Studios, Australia.
Hëna has an unyielding desire to evolve as a dancer and has travelled internationally to further develop her skills. Her credits include Baker Boy, Tony award winning musical “In the Heights, Paces, Joyce Wrice, Banoffee and has performed at major Australian festivals including Laneway, Falls Festival, Beyond the Valley and Meredith.
Since 2011, Hëna has used dance to engage with youth and the next generation of performing artists, by using dance as a vessel to enrich the community through the Arts. Hëna has been a Teaching Artist with L2R since 2015 and in 2019 she was appointed the role of Community Development and Events Coordinator, striving to explore new ways to create, engage and innovate, while celebrating diversity in the Arts.
Hëna has a profound passion for dance, and it’s how she identifies herself. Dance allows her freedom to be an explorer and a creator while inspiring her to create positive change through the power of movement.The invaluable experiences and possibilities dance have offered her throughout her practice have been instrumental in making Hena the person she finds herself today.
