Today we’d like to introduce you to Luca Sportelli
Hi Luca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in a small town in the southern part of Italy. Since a young age, I have always loved dance, and thankfully, my parents, against all traditions of boys shall not dance, enrolled me in a local private dance school. My passion for dance, ballet, in particular, grew with time. At 12, after getting accepted at the prestigious ballet school of San Carlo Theatre, I decided to move away from home to continue my ballet education. After one year, I decided to move back home, where I followed the hard training of an older Russian ballet trainer, which led me to receive a full scholarship for the last year of training at the San Francisco Ballet School. So, at 17, with little to no English, I moved across the world to San Francisco. From here, I have experienced and lived so much; I danced in many places, from all over the USA to Canada, China, Europe, and Ukraine. In 2018, I got a contract to dance with the Nashville Ballet, and finally, I could call a place my home after so much traveling. In 2020, right before the pandemic started, during the dress rehearsal of a show I was dancing in, I tore my ACL and had to have immediate surgery. My life seemed over; I had only known dance my whole life. It took me 11 months to fully recover and get back into dancing professionally, which I did, surprisingly stronger than ever. I wasn’t the same, though. During my recovery, I got to experience a life without ballet (not because I wanted to but because I was forced due to my injury), which led me to discover the art of photography. During this time, I also met my husband, and after getting married in 2021, we decided to move to Ohio, where he is originally from. I also decided to stop dancing professionally, and after one year of self-discovery, I decided to pick up a camera and start taking photos, not just any pictures but dance portraits. In July 2022, Luca Sportelli Creations was born. In less than 2 years, I experienced substantial growth thanks to my husband’s support and drive to help all the dancers who want to capture their hard work and need professional eyes.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am a very fortunate person. I have always had the full support of my family and close friends, but I struggled a lot to get where I am today, and I am so thankful for everything that has happened during my journey today. From being bullied because I was dancing, to not being able to find a Ballet Company that would hire me because I was too short and petite for the standard male dancer, to my ACL tear, to a self-rediscovery after I decided to stop my professional dancing career. Everything has led me to where I am today, has given me life experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, has taken me from a small town in Italy to living my dream first as a professional ballet dancer and now has a Portrait and Dance photographer in the USA.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Dance and Portrait photographer. I specialize in Dance photography. With my extensive background in dance, I am one of the few dance photographers who have danced professionally for a living. I am proud to say that through my photos; I give a voice and a piece of affirmation to all the dancers out there who work so much to get where they are today, and with those images, they can reflect on all their success and beauty for the rest of their lives. I also love photographing portraits and headshots, as well as senior-year portraits. Each time a new client walks in front of my camera, I know that my growth continues as I experience all their life and ups and downs by simply capturing their true persona.
Before we go, can you talk to us about how people can work, collaborate, or support you?
Visit my website at www.lucasportellicreations.com and contact me with any ideas they have. I am always open to growth and new ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lucasportellicreations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucasportellicreations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucasportellicreationsllc/
