Luis Marrafa, born in 1975 in Schüttorf, Germany. At the age of 9, he relocated to Évora, Portugal, and later to Lisbon. He continued his odyssey to London, before settling in Brussels, in 2009.

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Luis Marrafa, graduated from the Escola Superior de Dança in Lisbon. In Brussels he is the artistic director of the dance company Marrafa and of StairCase.studio Brussels where he is also artistic curator. He creates and produces his own works as choreographer, performer and sound composer, intuitively inspired by his experience and the multicultural environment around him.

 

Luis has been invited by several dance schools and professional companies as choreographer and dance teacher. Some of the pieces he has created through invitations:

2023/24 - Ombra, involved in a upcoming work from Alain Platel for (Opera Ballet Vlaanderen);

2022 - CREDO (Cultural Association - ArQuente, Faro);

2021 - Snow (National Ballet of Portugal);

2021 - Frag (Kunsthumaniora, Antwerp);

2020 - What if? (Kunsthumaniora, Brussels); 

2020 - Efeméride (Balleteatro, Porto);

2019 - Functio (FMH - Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Lisbon);

2019 - Hodierno (Balleteatro, Porto);

2018 - Anpassung (QuorumBallet, Lisbon);

2017 - Soma (Balleteatro, Porto);

2017 - Marvel (Company de Dança de Almada);

2017 - Duplo (Artes na Rua, Évora);

2016 - Folklore (ESD - Escola Superior de Dança, Lisbon);

2015 - Proxemics ( Facultad de Bellas Artes de Querétaro, Mexico).

 

Marrafa productions:

2024 - Pablo;

2022 - Ghost (Collaboration with Alain Platel);

2020 - Clavicula (Animation);

2016 - HOME;

2014 - ABSTAND (Collaboration with António M. Cabrita);

2014 - Disquiet (Dance video); 

2012 - Untitled (Dance video); 

2012 - Transistor (Collaboration with Petra Van Gompel);

2012 - escape & light night;

2011 - Coffee Loop (dance video in collaboration with Bernardo Camisão); 

2009 - Unstable (collaboration with António Bexiga);

2007 - IIB (Dance video);

 

Highlights, in 2021, Ghost made the top 10 of the best dance pieces of the year in Portugal by two newspapers O Público and Expresso. HOME - Selection by Aerowaves twenty company in London 2016; ABSTAND - Nominated for the best choreography by the Authors Award SPA Lisbon 2014; Untitled - Best performance at the International InShadow Festival, Lisbon 2012; Coffee Loop - Nominated for One Film Festival in Gent, BE 2011; IIB - Selection for The Place dance school film in London, UK 2008 and Best dance video at the International Dance Festival, Almada 2009.

 

Collaborated with artists such as: Alain Platel, Rui Horta, Karine Ponties, Silke Z, Tânia Carvalho, Satya Roosens, António M. Cabrita, Luis Guerra, among others.