Lucas Valente

My name is Lucas Valente, a Brazilian choreographer based in Switzerland. I began my artistic training in Brazil, where I studied theatre, circus, ballet, Graham technique and jazz, often training in different disciplines and schools simultaneously.

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At the age of 17, I was accepted into the Theatre Directing programme at the University of São Paulo, where I studied for three years. A few years later, I returned to the same university to study Philosophy, completing a Bachelor’s degree.

I went on to pursue a 15-year career as a professional dancer, working in Brazil, Cuba, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. During my career, I was a member of São Paulo Companhia de Dança and Ballett Zürich, among other companies and projects. My experience as a dancer also brought me into contact with a wide range of movement practices, including Gaga, Flying Low and Passing Through, Fighting Monkey, Butoh, Viewpoints, Capoeira, and Brazilian folk and regional dances.

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My interest in choreography began alongside my career as a dancer. In 2009, at the age of 19, I created my first work, which received the award for Best Contemporary Choreography at a festival in São Paulo. I continued creating smaller works for friends and colleagues before choreographing my first larger piece in 2014 for the São Paulo Companhia de Dança program for young talents.

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Over the following years, choreography gradually became the central focus of my artistic work. I have since created works for companies and institutions including Ballett Zürich, Junior Ballett Zürich, Ballet du Rhin, Cottbus Ballet, Ballet Basel, Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Xie Xin Dance Theatre, Origen Festival, São Paulo Companhia de Dança and the New York Choreographic Institute.

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In 2022, I was awarded first prize at the Biarritz Choreographic Competition. More recently, I was particularly glad to receive the Tanznetz Critics’ Award for Best Choreography of the 2025/26 season for my work Bare, created for Ballett Zürich.

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After 15 years as a professional dancer, I ended my performing career in 2025 to focus fully on choreography. I am now looking forward to continuing to develop my own choreographic voice, while keeping my work consistent and engaged within the wider creative field. I hope to contribute to the development of the art form, to keep questioning its possibilities, and to help bring contemporary dance to wider audiences.