Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Born 1970, Montevideo, Uruguay
Choreographer
My work pays homage to the classical forms of dance and theater that continue to be relevant, yet it questions a "civilized" standard of beauty and order that puts the body under the tyranny of the intellect. It subverts the idea that the carnal and primitive side of ourselves is lesser, given that it reminds us of our uncivilized past, by offering an aesthetic that is more natural, sensual, vulnerable, animal, raw and at the same time is highly rigorous and formal.
My work exposes the viewer to the unavoidability of the body and consequently "arrives" at dancing as a necessary and unquestionable act, as catharsis and/or celebration. There is throughout a carnivalesque vision that aims to elevate the value of the body and experience at large.
My work actively addresses the audience's gaze, revealing their role as voyeur and bringing them into the "narrative" as participating characters. There is an almost utopian desire of being transparent and sharing the process, and there is an almost childlike, innocent desire to be closer to or "touch" the audience.
1995 B.F.A., California Institute of the Arts
2010 PURO DESEO, premiered at The Kitchen, New York, NY
2008 The Sublime is Us, premiered at Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY
2007 - 2009 Franny & Zooey, premiered at The Nothing Festival, Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY; also performed in the US and internationally
2006 Exhausting Love at Danspace Project, premiered at Danspace Project, New York, NY
2004 - 2009 A Super Natural Return to Love, premiered at Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY; also performed in the US and internationally
2009 The MAP Fund Award
2009 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council President's Liberty Award
2008 New York Foundation for the Arts Choreography Fellow
2007 New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award for Exhausting Love at Danspace Project
Luciana Achugar, photo by Ryutaro Mishimura
Luciana Achugar, photo by Briana Blasko