ABOUT
Livia Massarelli is a dance artist, researcher and holistic performance coach whose work explores the connection between embodiment, awareness and artistic expression.
Working internationally as a performer, choreographer, educator and coach, she brings together over a decade of experience in dance, contemplative practice and coaching. She is the creator of the Mindful Dancer Method, an approach integrating movement, contemplative practice and coaching to support dancers and artists in cultivating presence, authenticity and sustainable performance.
Dance artist, educator, researcher and holistic coach
PERFORMANCE
Livia Massarelli is an international dance artist whose performance practice spans contemporary dance, multidisciplinary performance and site-specific work. Her artistic journey has taken her across Europe and beyond, collaborating with a diverse range of choreographers and artists and performing in a variety of theatrical and site-specific contexts.
She has performed nationally and internationally with companies including Dora Frankel Dance Company, Edge Company, BarberDance, SkogDans and Avant Garde Dance Company, as part of The Grain project. Her performance experience includes works by internationally recognised choreographers and artists such as Shobana Jeyasingh, Tony Adigun, Emanuel Gat, Claudia Castellucci, Patricia Okenwa, Malou Airaudo, Allen and Karen Kaeja, and others.
Livia has performed across Italy, the UK, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Portugal and the USA, including international productions such as Where We Meet, a collaborative work presented at venues including La Maison de la Danse, Jacob’s Pillow and The Place. She has also created and performed in numerous authorial and multidisciplinary projects, exploring the relationship between movement, space, identity and human connection.
Her artistic practice is rooted in a continuous exploration of embodiment, presence and the expressive potential of the moving body.
TEACHING
Livia Massarelli is an experienced dance educator whose teaching integrates technical excellence, embodied awareness and creative exploration. With a background as a performer, choreographer, researcher and holistic performance coach, she creates learning environments that support dancers’ artistic development, individuality and wellbeing.
She is currently Programme Leader for the MA Contemporary Dance Performance, a programme she designed and developed in collaboration with Equilibrio Dinamico Dance Company. Her experience in higher education includes teaching workshops, intensives and classes at leading institutions across the UK and Europe, including Rambert School, where she designed and implemented a pioneering Meditation for Dancers course following her funded research into the impact of contemplative practices in dance training.
Livia has also been invited to teach at institutions including English National Ballet School, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London Studio Centre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and the Institute of the Arts Barcelona, as well as working with professional dance companies and training programmes internationally.
Her teaching approach is rooted in the belief that dancers thrive when technical development is supported by self-awareness, curiosity and a deeper connection to themselves and their artistic voice.
In addition to her artistic and educational work, Livia holds a CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health (awarded in August 2019), supporting her commitment to a holistic, inclusive, and emotionally aware approach to dance education.
EDUCATION
In 2020 Livia got a MA in performance at London Contemporary Dance School.
In 2017 Livia performed with the international touring dance company EDGE17 based at The Place (London), and she graduated as a PostGraduate student at London Contemporary Dance School.
In 2013 She graduated with honours from The National Dance Academy of Rome, and in 2015 she completed the professional course at RIDA (Rome International Dance Academy) directed by Sara Lourenco and Andrea Palombi.
She has studied and worked with world-renown artists participating in workshops and festivals such as Impulztanz, Biennale Danza, Festival Dei Due Mondi, Dance Umbrella.
In 2020 Livia graduated as professional Performance Coach (The Coaching Academy, London) and as Meditation Guide (Centre Dorje Ling, Italy).
in 2026 Livia became an Accredited Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation.
Livia is also a researcher in the field of Dance and Wellbeing. She has conducted both academic and practice-based research, with projects funded by the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (UK). Her work explores how meditation can support dancers’ mental health, focus, and embodied presence. Livia’s research has been published in peer-reviewed platforms, including the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices, and featured in Dance UK’s Wednesday Wellbeing Writing series. Through this work, she continues to advocate for more holistic approaches to training and supporting artists in the professional dance sector.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Livia’s choreographic work weaves together intellectual research and visceral physicality, often rooted in collaboration and experimentation. She is particularly interested in exploring the human inner world, using art as a tool to develop both self-awareness and awareness of our collective experience as a society.
Her creations have been presented in prestigious venues such as Jacob's Pillow (USA), La Maison de la Danse (Lyon, France), The Cockpit Theatre (London, UK), The Place Theatre (London, UK), Caos Centro Arti Opificio Siri (Terni, Italy), Tripspace(London, UK), Casa das Artes (Porto, Portugal), The Blue Elephant Theatre (London, UK), Teatro Ruskaja (Rome, Italy), Sala Frau (Spoleto, Italy), The Italian Parliament in Rome (on behalf of the National Dance Academy of Rome), and other venues across Europe.
Livia’s work Folies de SeeInteracting was selected and published in the volume “100 Storie di Creatività”, curated by the Lazio Region in Italy. Her solo Lichtspiel Dance was presented at Nutrimenti Festival, and her choreographic projects have appeared in a range of national and international festivals in the UK and Italy, including Resolution Festival, Terni Festival, Prospettiva Nevskij, and Arte e Scienza.
She has created work for traditional theatres as well as museums, art galleries, and unconventional spaces such as bridges and fortresses—demonstrating her commitment to reimagining where and how dance can happen.
Livia regularly collaborates with visual artists, composers, musicians, engineers, and computer scientists, reflecting her interest in interdisciplinary creation and new modes of perception.
Her latest project, Where We Meet, co-directed with Clémence Débaig, explores the intersection of dance and new technology, highlighting her evolving curiosity for merging different media and languages.
Through all her projects, Livia brings together her choreographic and meditative practices, approaching dance as a spiritual and somatic journey—a practice that supports presence, connection, and embodied awareness.
MEDITATION AND COACHING
Livia Massarelli integrates meditation, coaching and embodied practices to support dancers, artists and individuals in cultivating awareness, wellbeing and sustainable performance. Through her work, she helps people develop greater connection with themselves, navigate challenges with more clarity and confidence, and access their full potential.
She is the creator of the Mindful Dancer Method, an approach developed through over a decade of personal practice, artistic experience, research and work with dancers and performers. Her work combines contemplative practices, coaching and movement to support both personal growth and artistic development.
Livia is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a qualified meditation facilitator trained at the Dorje Ling Centre with Master Davide Cova, and a certified ThetaHealing® practitioner. She has collaborated as a researcher and coach with dance companies, higher education institutions and organisations, including Rambert School and Towards Vivencia.
Alongside her artistic work, Livia works as Rehearsal Director and Holistic Coach with Equilibrio Dinamico Dance Company, supporting performers through coaching, mindfulness and embodied practices.
photo by James Beresford