Lizel Ongchangco

Lizel Grace Ongchangco has been dancing since she was three years old. She started with tap, jazz, lyrical, and ballet at Fine Arts Academy of Dance in Diamond Bar, CA. She grew up competing in both group and solo divisions, winning awards for regional and national competitions such as ShowStopper, Kar, Czar, and StarPower. After graduating from St. Lucy's HS in Glendora, CA, Lizel joined Bailes des Artes Filipinas/Pacifica Cultural Dance Company based in Chino, CA, where she studied and performed the cultural dances of Hula, Tahitian, Maori and many Filipino folk dances.

She attended UC Irvine and joined CADC her freshman year. VIBE 7 was Lizel's first collegiate hip-hop competition, as well as her last performance with CADC. She continued her involvement at UCI and joined Na 'Opio o Ka 'Aina (Hawai'i Club at UCI) in 2002. In the following year, she was the Lu'au Dance Coordinator for their 2003 lu'au, "Ke Alaula" and then again in 2004 for "Out of the Blue." In January of 2004, Lizel started her breakin' and lockin' training when she was welcomed into the Kaba Modern Family. The following year, she joined Culture Shock Los Angeles. Lizel was on their 2005 Lockin' Crew where she showcased her lockin', whackin' and punkin' progression at CSLA's 2006 Benefit Showcase "The Color of WE."

In 2006, Lizel graduated with a BA in Social Ecology and a minor in Educational Studies, and also returned to Kaba Modern as a born-again newbie. As an Oldie, Lizel shared her "FUN"ky fundamentals with her KM family as a choreographer, and also competed at the 2007 Hip-Hop Internationals in L.A., winning the USA Gold Medal for Kaba Modern on the National level, as well as the Silver Medal for Kaba Modern/USA at the World Finals. VIBE 13 was Lizel's last performance with Kaba Modern.

In the spring of 2008, she joined Kaba Modern Legacy Dance Company, which opened up her opportunities for growth in life and dance. Through KM Legacy, Lizel was able to travel to Gainesville, FL; Las Vegas, NV; and Geneseo, New York for performances, and also took on a position as the current Administrative Director for 2009-2010. In January 2010, Lizel was called to Saigon, VIetNam to work directly with The Propeller Group production company and the Buoc Nhay dancers as the on-site choreographer for Hoang Thuy Linh's music video "Nh?p Ð?p Gi?c Mo ".

In addition to her contributions to KM Legacy, Lizel was also an integral part of Fanny Pak's Management by assisting the group at their local and traveling bookings and currently dances with Floorteenth St. Outside of the dance world, Lizel is working on her post-baccalaureate studies towards applying for a Master's program in Occupational Therapy.