Luca is Protein’s Artistic Director. He is known for his unique style of dance theatre combining choreography, text, humour and social commentary to present the everyday in revealing and subversive ways, on- and off-stage. Protein’s work, such as Dear Body, LOL (lots of love) and Border Tales has toured the world, from the USA to Russia, Columbia to Thailand.
Born in Jesi, Italy, Luca graduated in Performing Arts at Bologna University. In 1995, he moved to London to complete his dance training at Laban. Since then Luca has worked with Maxine Doyle’s First Person, Catherine Seymour Dance Company, Lea Anderson and The Featherstonehaughs, Ruth Segalis’ Rose’s Thoughts, Bock & Vincenzi, Sarah Rubidge, Joanna Portolou and Aletta Collins.
His choreography dates from 1997 when he co-founded Protein. As Artistic Director he is known for idiosyncratic dance theatre work provoked by its deep connections with the everyday. His personality is stamped on large-scale cross-generational and participatory events, including the world record-breaking Big Dance Class, Eat London (which won a Visit London Gold Award) and Big World Dance, 2010, both of which took place in Trafalgar Square. He has created full-length intergenerational productions in Valenciennes, Athens, Barcelona, London, Turin, Kinosaki, Japan and Wadebridge, Cornwall; and has taught and presented Protein’s participatory work at schools and conferences in Singapore, Spain, Italy and Canada. He’s a regular guest teacher in Community Dance Practice at Corso per Danzeducatore in Bologna and at Danzatori per la Comunità in Turin, Italy.
Through Protein’s Real Life Real Dance programme, Luca has created ground-breaking participatory performance opportunities for disadvantaged and disengaged people, including young people in alternative provision schools, hospitals, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
In 2012 Luca and Protein were presented with a New Connections Award by the British Council in Italy for the valuable contribution made in developing closer relations between the UK and Italy.
The success and impact of Protein’s performance and participation programme has grown nationally and internationally over the years, and in 2016 Protein was again nominated (having won the accolade in 2011) for the Best Independent Company at the National Dance Awards.
He has won a Jerwood Choreography Award, a Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award, The Place Prize Audience Award and received a Rayne Fellowship. In 2020, he was awarded the prestigious Premio della Critica by the Italian Associazione Nazionale Critici di Teatro for his work in dance and in 2022 he received Premio Vallesina for Culture. Luca is Affiliate Artist at The Place.
