Community Profiles
Meet Indy's Movers and Shakers
Dancers who have and continue to help make, shape, and move the Indianapolis dance scene forward.
If you know someone who should be featured here send us a message!
Cuong Tran aka King Koi Roi
ICNH Dance (Insert Crew Name Here)
Robot Mafia
Mind Body Music Koi a street dancer from Indiana with over 11 years of experience in styles like popping, animation, tutting, and waving. Dance has taken him across the world, from local battles to international stages in places like Ireland, Japan, and Canada. Koi is proud to be an active part of Indiana’s dance community, constantly learning, sharing, and growing alongside other passionate artists. "What drives me isn’t just the movement – it’s the culture and history behind it. I have deep respect for the pioneers who laid the foundation for street dance, and I strive to honor their legacy in everything I do. Whether I’m competing, teaching, or just vibing with my crews, I’m always pushing to evolve while staying true to the roots. This journey has shaped who I am, and I’m grateful to be recognized by my peers and the next generation of dancers."
Worldwide Dance Challenge Winner, Waves Within Top 16 (2020), Vibe Night Champion (2020), Tutting Battle Finals Runner-Up (2019), Locked In Champion (2020), Summertime Dance Jam Winner (2017), Popping and All Styles Battle Ireland Winner (2024), Poppin Samurai Finalist (2020), Hip Hop International – Ireland Silver Medalist (2020), Animation Battle India Winner (2020)
Koi is a vital member of our vibrant Indy dance community. His joy for movement is infectious and his openness to learn about celebrate different styles of dance inspires those around him. Koi is working to redefine the dance landscape in Indiana, trying to shift the focus from technical uniformity & structure and instead place individuality and creative expression in the spotlight. His goal is to nurture artists, not just performers, and help cultivate a community where originality is celebrated over conformity.
“The dance community is what fuels my passion. It’s the people you meet, the places you go, and the shared love for movement that creates something truly special. There’s an incredible energy in this world – so many kind, talented individuals who make it feel like home. Right now, the ones who inspire me most are my teachers: Jsmooth, AJ Megaman, Teabugz, Puppet Einn, Castro, Tempo, Poppin Tod, Poppin Chuck, and Kobruh. Their artistry and dedication push me to grow every day. I’m also deeply inspired by my peers across all my crews – each one brings something unique to the table, and together, we keep evolving.”
Want to learn from Koi? You can work with him in person or over Zoom – get the details here.
Koi recommends: “Keep a movement diary. Progress in dance isn’t always obvious in the moment – but when you look back, those small steps become milestones. Your movement diary becomes proof of your dedication, a source of motivation, and a reminder of how far you’ve come.”
You can keep up with Koi by checking out his website or following him on Instagram.
PAST PROFILES
Katie Phelan Mayfield (she/her)
“The dance and technology work I am researching is challenging the parameters of where choreography resides, not only in the body, but also in the digital art, in the projection design, and in the interaction between physical and digital spaces. It is what gives the spectator that magical visualization. We live in a digital charged era which provides endless inspiration for art making. Every day we are interacting with digital spaces and being influenced by them. The work I do is reflecting that interaction of physical and digital space found within our current society.”
“There is so much depth that can continue to be discovered and revealed in this aspect alone. Much of the performance work I create can be seen in performances by The Digital Dance Collective, an Indy-based Digital Arts and Dance collective under the direction of myself. Since its beginning, DigiDanceCo has strived to produce thought-provoking work by combining dance, film, digital arts, and audio arts.”
“I began dancing from a young age and pursued my BFA in dance, followed by a performance career in Indianapolis and Chicago.
It wasn’t until my mid-20s that I began to dabble in the interdisciplinary work of dance and technology such as film, animation, and projection design. I was able to deepen my research while I expanded the possibility of what I could create during my graduate school studies.”
“I just wrapped a fabulous semester at IU, teaching Digital Media for Theatre and Dance where students learn the tools, programming, and skill in film and animation to create their own dance and technology works. An upcoming viewing that DigiDanceCo will offer is a multimedia performance show in Indy Fringe Festival. It is a multimedia work incorporating dance choreography, digital animation, and projection design. While work like this is being produced worldwide, it is rare to see this
type of interactive performance in Indianapolis.”
Learn more about her work at https://www.digidanceco.com/
Iris Rosa (she/her)
Iris Rosa was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, and raised in East Chicago, Indiana. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies and the former and founding Director of the African American Dance Company (1974–2017) at Indiana University Bloomington.
Her specializations include teaching dance technique, history and choreography from the perspective of the African American and African Diaspora and bridging the contemporary modern dance genre with African diaspora dance forms. Rosa has studied, researched, presented and taught dance in Ghana, Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, Havana, Matanzas and Guantanamo, and Santiago, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica and Beijing, China. She has worked as a choreographer, dancer and actor on many community projects in Indianapolis at the Phoenix Theatre, Civic Theatre, Madame Walker Theatre Center and the Jazz Kitchen.
Iris is the artistic director of Sancocho: Music and Dance Collage and Seda Negra/Black Silk Dance Company, ensembles dedicated to researching and performing African influenced dance and music from the Caribbean and Latin America.
She opened Iris Rosa Dance Studio in May 2022 in Indianapolis to further expose the community to the rich diversity of dance and music from the African and African American diaspora. The studio is a space inclusive of all dance genres and dancers in the community. Styles taught include: Modern, Afro Cuban, Jazz, Salsa, Ballet, African dance traditions, and much more! Here, dancers can come to expand their understanding of dance, history, and culture and become more holistic, informed artists.
The studio is located at 1145 East 22nd Street. For more info on classes and Seda Negra/Black Silk, visit their website here.
Yoshiko Kamikusa (she/her)
She was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her dance journey began at age 7 in Hawaii, and as her love for ballet grew steadily over time, she went on to pursue further training in Canada, at the Goh Ballet Academy. She performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for 5 years before opportunity brought her to Indianapolis. Along the way she earned various merits at prestigious ballet competitions, such as: Helsinki International Ballet Competition, Japan Grand Prix International Ballet Competition, Varna International Ballet Competition, and others.
While she appreciates the ritual and routine of ballet technique, for her, the greatest draw to dancing is the transformation that occurs onstage and the exchange of energy that happens between dancer and audience. While an accomplished Balanchine dancer, she has a soft spot for a good old fashioned story ballet. She is very much looking forward to performing the role of Aurora later this season in Indianapolis Ballet’s full length production of Sleeping Beauty. You can, however, catch her in many productions between now and then. For more information on the rest of the season at Indianapolis Ballet, click here.
Some other fun facts about Yoshi: Two of her favorite ballet dancers are Ulyana Lopatkina and Marianela Núñez. She finds that each style of ballet training offers a unique perspective to the craft. Though she may be a self-described introvert, she has been know to make a bold fashion statement every now and again. It is a welcome departure from up to 40hours/week in a leotard and warm-ups.
Bgirl Pep-C (she/her)
Pep-C was born in Muncie, raised in Indianapolis, and graduated from Broad Ripple High School. She then headed to Columbia College in Chicago to major in Dance, and later Arts Management. This is where she first encountered her current artistic focus. She began studying hip-hop culture outside of school and was encouraged to attend her first hip-hop jam and won! Though trained in many different forms of dance, from Classical to African, to Street, she would often freestyle in more cultural dance forms. In Chicago she met her Breakin’ mentor, Preach. She is now based in Indianapolis where she trains and travels to compete in battles across the world. She is doing all she can to prepare herself for the journey ahead and save the necessary capital to make these dreams a reality.
This woman is truly passionate about Breakin’, coming from a place of pure love and interest. Some notable victories include: Red Bull BC One Philadelphia Cypher 2019, B-Girl City Bonnie & Clyde 2019, and Break Free Day 2020 Most Valuable Breaker.