After returning to Italy in 2011, she began an in-depth choreographic research through the IFA Academy at Inteatro, establishing herself as a dance author with a distinctive approach to materials, space and embodiment. In 2013, she received the G’da Award for Young Italian Choreographers with the performance Alluminio, initiating a long-term investigation into the relationship between the body and materials—exploring sound, texture, shape and tactile qualities as active elements within movement.

During the same period, she assisted choreographer Virgilio Sieni at the Venice Biennale, collaborating on the community-based projects Agorá and Madre e Figli. In 2014, she won the Audience Award at the Oriente Occidente Dance Festival in Rovereto with the performance Legame.

Lara’s choreographic research views creation as a space of encounter, dialogue and shared experience, aiming to generate new forms of expression through interaction with others. Her work ranges from site-specific performances to projects integrating dance and live music, developed in collaboration with visual artists and musicians.

In 2015, she was awarded DNA – Appunti Coreografici at the Romaeuropa Festival with the piece Rame, which allowed her to further deepen her research on materials. This work debuted at the Venice Biennale in 2016. In the same period, she won the Citofonare Pim contest and premiered the solo Legno in Milan in 2019.

Since 2011, Lara Russo has been part of the Art Factory International teaching staff, where she works as a teacher of improvisation and composition, contributing to the artistic and pedagogical development of the program. Alongside her work in contemporary dance, she has been active in the field of tango since 2013 and curates the monthly event Milonga Rayuela in Bologna.

Class – Improvisation & Composition

In her classes, Lara focuses on cultivating a responsive, agile and attentive body, open to listening and adaptation. Drawing from somatic practices, release technique and contact improvisation, her teaching encourages dancers to explore movement as a communicative act, fostering connections between the self, the surrounding space and others.

Through guided improvisation, participants investigate processes that lead to authentic and personal movement, while remaining in dialogue with the group and the environment. The work emphasizes presence, awareness and the continuous exchange between inner experience and external relations.