Paco Dècina is an Italian
choreographer
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
.
Decina was born in
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
in 1955, and studied science, before becoming interested in
classical dance and
African dance
African dance (also Afro dance, Afrodance and Afro-dance) refers to the various dance styles of sub-Saharan Africa. These dances are closely connected with the traditional rhythms and music traditions of the region. Music and dancing is an int ...
. He worked with several dance companies in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
where he discovered contemporary dance and adopted
American influences. In 1984, he moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
; two years later, he became an instructor at the Conservatory of
Champigny-sur-Marne
Champigny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Champigny on Marne'') is a major city in the region of Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Name
Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny. The name Champigny ultim ...
. In 1986, he founded the Post-Retroguardia company, and in June 1987 he won the Ménagerie de Verre choreography prize with "Tempi morti", for five dancers (
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
1987). "Circumvesuviana" (from the name of the train serving villages at the foot of
Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...
) was produced in February 1988 at the
Théâtre d’Ivry, and made Decina's name.
Notable works
* ''La Douceur perméable de la rosée''
References
Italian choreographers
Dancers from Naples
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
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