ABOUT | Luca Braccia
Drawing the eyes throughout was Luca Braccia,
who moves with ease and authority.
Jonathan Grey, Dancing Times
Luca is a London based dance artist, researcher and academic, with over ten years of international experience in teaching, performance and choreography. As a multidimensional teaching artist, Luca firmly believes in the power of being specific, the necessity of taking actions and the integration of knowledge or other practices. Currently, he is a Studio Team Member, FreeSpace Programme administrator and artist at Studio Wayne McGregor. Together with Leila McMillan, Luca hosts and curate the first-ever Passing Through Jam series in London.
Performance and Choreography
As dancer, Luca performed works by Jiri Kylian, Merce Cunningham, Shobana Jeyasingh, Gauri Sharma Tripathi, Patricia Okenwa, Tony Adigun, Mauro Bigonzetti, Dino Verga, Adriana Borriello, Allen and Karen Kaeja, Enzo Celli, Fabrizio Monteverde, Carl Portal and Giovanna Velardi. Furthermore, he worked with independent companies such as Lila Dance, Akademi, Fuora Dance Project, Dora Frankel Dance and Creative People Dance Places. Luca performed during the international tour of EDge17 directed by Jeanne Yasko, founder of Norrdans.
In 2015, Luca founded BARBERDANCE / lucabraccia&Co. Since then, the company has toured nationally and internationally, representing Luca’s works in China, Italy, Portugal and the UK. During the last four years, he brought together more than thirty dancers and other collaborators, delivering a large number of learning and research projects. Luca has won awards including the Premio Claudio Abbado 2015 for choreography (MIUR) and Movin’Up 2016 (MIBACT). In 2014, he was selected to take part in the choreography critique project of RomaEuropa Festival.
Education, Teaching and Research
Luca is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He graduated from the National Dance Academy of Rome with a BA in Contemporary Dance and an MFA in Contemporary Dance Teaching and Education. Afterwards, he obtained an Erasmus+ Traineeship Certificate and a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance from London Contemporary Dance School (validated by the University of Kenta). Luca has taught at Trinity Laban, London Contemporary Dance School (The Place), National Dance Academy of Rome, DanceEast, Dance City, The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and Newcastle College. He delivered a wide range of classes, workshops and one-to-one sessions for professionals, vocational and pre-vocational students as well as adults and community members. As a result of his last action research project entitled ProAction Training, Luca adopts an ongoing teaching research-led approach. The aim is to build new teaching methodologies in the dance training field, able to improve the alignment between the academic offer and the skills required by the professional working world.
Awards & Grants
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Leverhulme Trust FFE 2017
"Fund for Excellence” scholarship (£4,000) from the Leverhulme Trust.
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Erasmus + Traineeship Contribution 2017
Grant (€4,000) from the National Dance Academy and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).
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Erasmus + Traineeship EU Grant 2017
Grant (€5,280) from the European Commission.
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Movin’Up 2016
Grant (€1,200) from the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism (MIBACT) in partnership with Giovani Artisti Italiani and Comune di Torino.
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Premio Claudio Abbado 2015, Academic Award for Choreography
3rd Prize Award (of €2,700) from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).