Luca Patuelli is known as Lazylegz. He’s had a muscular condition called arthrogryposis since birth. “It can affect any part of the body,” said Patuelli in our recent interview. “This [hit] my legs,” so he gets around with the help of braces and crutches.
So, when I tell you that Patuelli manages and performs in a dance troupe, you naturally will question that. “People don’t expect people with disabilities to dance. But we’re all dancers inside. Dance has the ability to make you feel better, and that’s what I promote.”
Patuelli’s troupe, ILL-Abilities, appears at the Providence Performing Arts Center with a free, sensory-friendly show called “No Excuses, No Limits” this Saturday at 2PM.
“ILL-Abilities is an international dance group,” Patuelli says, providing a “motivational entertainment experience.” Patuelli’s original concept, started in 2007, was to “create an all-star team with different abilities to compete and perform at an international level.”
“Our dance style started off as break dancing,” says Patuelli. “Our dances are a little more interpretive. We dance to instrumentals with slower beats. I’m a creative mover. Dance is open to everyone.”
Patuelli’s dancers have a variety of challenges. “One of my dancers is hearing-impaired. He can’t hear the music, so he created his dance from watching the audience. Another of our dancers is a former dancer who slipped and fell and was paralyzed. He came back, he still dances, and now he’s our DJ.”
Another is a cancer survivor whose leg is amputated below the hip. One has malformations all over his body. One is a polio survivor.
“Each dancer is considered to be one of the best in the world,” said Patuelli. “We all compete internationally; each of us have proved ourselves.”
Patuelli calls ILL-Abilities “the Avengers of Dance. I’m Professor X because I put it all together.”
The dancers each live in their own home countries. “I live in Montreal. We have dancers from France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Chile, South Korea, and the U.S. The crew comes together for each performance.”
Saturday’s show will feature four of Patuelli’s dancers, plus four dancers who’ve been selected from the New England area. “Everyone is coming from home, and then going back home.”
Patuelli taught his dancers how to speak to an audience, so they can tell their stories, what their dance means to them. “The stories have a huge impact. Whenever we perform, it’s not just a gig. The idea is to make an impact.”
Two hours before Saturday’s show, Patuelli and his dancers will hold a workshop for the community. “It’s an integrated dance workshop targeted for people with disabilities. It’s an opportunity to understand who we are in a more intimate setting, in the lobby at PPAC.”
[“ILL-Abilities: No Excuses, No Limits” is a free performance this Saturday, May 13 at 2PM at the Providence Performing Arts Center. For further information, visit www.ppacri.org or call the box office at 401.421.ARTS.]
