Vitor Luiz

Vitor Luiz is an internationally recognized dancer, choreographer, and educator whose versatile style, artistry, and partnering skills have earned him distinction on stages across the globe. He joined the faculty of the Department of Dance at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts in 2019 as assistant professor, bringing with him more than two decades of professional performance and teaching experience.

Born in Brazil, Luiz studied with distinguished ballet masters Pedro Kraszczuk, Dalal Achcar, Stella de Mello, and Victor Navarro. At 16, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London, and before the age of 18 began his professional career with Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 2001, he joined the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s most prestigious ballet company, where he rose to principal dancer and international guest artist. In 2009, he was named a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, a company with which he performed for 10 years.

As a principal dancer, Luiz performed major classical and contemporary roles, including Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Desiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Basilio in Don Quixote, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. He also created roles in works by Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, Edwaard Liang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Val Caniparoli, among others. He has performed internationally with the Ballet of Rio de Janeiro, English National Ballet, Ballet Argentino de la Plata, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, Sodre Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Connecticut Ballet, as well as in numerous galas worldwide.

Luiz received the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Best Ensemble Performance in Possokhov’s Classical Symphony during San Francisco Ballet’s 2010 repertory season. In Brazil, he has also been honored with awards from major cultural institutions and government organizations. In recognition of his international contributions to dance, he was nominated as a member of CID–International Dance Council, an official UNESCO partner.

As a choreographer, Luiz’s recent work Sheherezade, co-created and performed with his wife and partner Tara Ghassemieh, premiered at Segerstrom Concert Hall in 2019 to critical acclaim. Following its success, the pair were commissioned to choreograph full-length ballets for Festival Ballet Theatre and to collaborate with musicians of OC Chamber Music Hall.

Beyond performance, Luiz has led master classes, workshops, and residencies across Brazil, China, Australia, Europe, and the United States. He has worked with institutions including Southland Ballet Academy in Southern California, Atlanta Ballet, Shanghai Theater Academy, Melbourne Academy of the Arts School of Dance, Australian National Youth Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, and Youth America Grand Prix.