By The Social Eyes Team
The Quebec Week for Persons with Disabilities is a period of mobilization aiming to underscore the contributions and raise awareness of the challenges faced by those in Quebec who are disabled. This year, one of the most remarkable faces of this week has been Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, who remains convinced that “Our differences can become our greatest strengths.”
Born in 1984 in Montreal, Luca suffers from arthrogryposis, a rare muscular and joint condition affecting the shoulders, legs and feet. He has been operated on 16 times since childhood.
Despite these trials, he has never given up. Falling in love with breakdance at age 15 saved his life… it was a creative electroshock. His crutches became extensions of his arms, and his body became a place for testing and exploration. “In hip-hop, everyone wants to be different, to stand out somehow. My handicap allows me to do this.”
In 2007 Luca founded the ILL-Abilities crew, a dance collective bringing together dancers with “different abilities” from diverse countries (Canada, U.S., the Netherlands, Chile, Brazil, France, South Korea…).
The name is a wink to hip-hop language. If something is “ill” it is energizing, exceptional. In other words, the idea is to transform disability into a source of beauty, courage and resilience.
Their style? A mixture of breakdance, theatrical performance, interactive discussion where the group, dancing, challenges the audience with the mantra:
“No excuses, no limits.”
This empowering message is spread through inclusive workshops in schools, hospitals, youth centres and cultural centres. The approach? Offer everyone a chance to “learn at your own way” and “explore your potential.”
On June 5th, Luca and his dancers brought the hose to its feet at the Maisonneuve Maison de la Culture on the Quebec Week for Persons with Disabilities.
Through his movements, his creative energy and his clear message, he reminded the crowds present of his strength: transforming differences in creative ways. On stage he is no longer a dancer on crutches. He is a whirlwind. He embodies what he stands for: No excuses, no limits.
Luca is no longer just a dancer, he is also a highly sought after international speaker, a charismatic, bilingual host. For his No excuses, no limits shows he starts off presenting himself as follows:
“My name is Lazylegz, I am the founder of the ILL-Abilities troupe and today I will be your master of ceremonies. Before beginning I would like to warmly thank the entire team. Thank you all for coming. Over the last three years these artists were all affected by the pandemic… But today, dancing with you is our greatest gift.”
ILL-Abilities’ reach goes beyond hip-hop shows: in August of 2024, Luca and his crew performed at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Pari, and also performed at the actual Olympic Games.
The first Canadian invited to participate, he danced with the world’s best b-boys, with and without disabilities, bringing energy to the proceedings. Ladylegz was touched to have been invited as an artist and not as a symbolic gesture. On stage, the presence of diverse artists was so integrated into the show that “you couldn’t really see our disabilities,” a sign that inclusion had succeeded where it is often absent.
In that one act, ILL-Abilities showed that dance, and by extension all forms of artistic expression, remain one of the strongest vectors for integration, visibility and recognition, and that on a global scale.
Luca’s passion extends far beyond his own personal path. His daughter Luna was also born with arthrogryposis. Her first show? A spontaneous recital, a moment of grace and pride which he speaks of with emotion: “My wife and I, we cried so hard with pride… I am certain that she will make her way in life. She is very strong. And she has an even harder head than I do.”
Luca soon realized that the world of children’s books was full of simple stories of flawless heroes. Differences are often caricatured or “healed.” In traditional tales like those of Walt Disney, handicaps are absent or treated like an obstacle to overcome, like a punishment.
What he wanted to offer his two daughters – and all children who resemble them – was a character who lives with their difference without being ashamed of it, and who can dream dreams without their condition being erased or dramatized.
In 2025 Luca published Funky: The duck who dreamed of dancing (Editions TNT). It’s a children’s book that tells the story of a young duck born with limbs smaller than his others. Funky can’t walk straight, and can’t dance like the other ducks – he lives with his differences without being ashamed of them. Yet he dances nonetheless, I his own way. And this way becomes a language.
This book sends a strong message. Through this illustrated tale, Luca creates a space where children with a disability can see themselves without pity or shame, without exceptionalism; other children may learn to see disabled people differently.
Funky dances despite, and with, his differences. He shows that we can have physical limits, but that we are all capable of inventing our own beat.
More than just a simple book for children, Funky is a political and a poetic narrative written at a child’s level. It recounts the right to dream, move and imagine, even when one’s body doesn’t match accepted norms.
For Luca it’s a gift to his daughters, but also an opening door to other families, other children, who are waiting to see themselves in the pages of a book.
Spokesperson
For over four years, Luca has been associated with the Quebec Week for Persons with Disabilities, first as an ambassador, then as a co-spokesperson alongside Rosie Taillefer-Simard. He was and remains deeply committed to this year’s version:
“The celebration is important, but the celebration of humanity in general is something we should do every day.”
In 2015 Luca received the Meritorious Service Medal of the Governor-General of Canada for his project RAD. The project brings disabled youths into accessible urban dance courses. He has reached a lot of people in this way: over a million spectators in over 30 countries have witnessed his shows in English, French, Spanish and Italian.
And there is always this cry, in his dance choreography and in his words:
“You have the power to change the world with what you create.”
And then there is this message to the public:
When you like what you see, make some noise. If you don’t like what you see, make some noise!”
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