Illmatic Styles ft. Lazy Legz was a dance group from Season 2 of America's Got Talent. It was eliminated in the Vegas Round.
Background[]
Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli was born on July 28, 1984 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was born with Arthrogryposis (multiplex congenita), a rare disorder that is explained by limited joint movement and poor muscle growth. At the age of 8, he was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition affecting the curve of his spine. By the time Luca was 13, his spine had a 70˚ curvature, and he underwent an immediate surgery, which involved fusing 8 of his vertebrae and inserting a titanium rod alongside his spine. Over the course of his life, Luca has had a total of 16 surgeries. While growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, Luca never let his disability slow him down; actively participating in everyday activities such as swimming, diving, skiing, horseback riding, sailing, and skateboarding.
In 1999, at the age of 15, Luca discovered “B-boying” also known as Breakdancing. Although quite challenging at first, he began to learn moves and modified them to create his own unique style that incorporates both extreme upper body strength and the use of crutches. “Lazylegz” was born.
In 2004, Lazylegz joined forces with Canadian breakdance crew, Illmatic Styles. They performed and competed all over North America. Following their success, Illmask was created; combining members of Illmatic Styles and Red Mask, another well-known Montreal based crew. 1
Illmatic Styles and Luca aim to show the world that anything is possible.
Audition[]
Illmatic Styles ft. Lazy Legz's audition in Episode 204 consisted of performing a dance routine which involved breakdance moves and Lazy Legz performing balance poses on his crutches. Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff all voted "Yes", sending them to the Vegas Round.
Vegas Round[]
Illmatic Styles ft. Lazy Legz was sorted into the "Variety" category during the Vegas Round. Their performance in Episode 205 consisted of a dance routine, where at one point Lazy Legz threw his crutches away and kept his balance on the floor with his hands. They proceeded the Top 35 shortlist, but were not sent through to the Semifinals, eliminating them from the competition in Episode 206.
After the Show[]
Following the success of Illmatic Styles, Illmask was created; combining members of Illmatic Styles and Red Mask, another well-known Montreal based crew.
In 2007, Lazylegz created ILL-Abilities™, an international crew consisting of the world’s best “ill-abled” dancers from Canada, USA, Chile, and Holland. The goal of the team is to show the world that as long as you are positive, creative, and willing to adapt yourself to any situation, anything is possible. Together, they continue to perform all over the world and spread the message “No Excuses, No Limits”.
In 2009, after pursuing his studies for seven years, Lazylegz finally graduated from Concordia University with a major in Marketing. Today, he uses his marketing degree to promote himself as a professional international motivational speaker, and as a result, has spoken and inspired thousands of audiences of all ages and all abilities around the world.
Lazylegz has worked with world-renowned artists such as Kanye West, Talib Kweli, K-OS, the Nappy Roots, Luther Brown, and many more. He has made appearances in the movies Kickin’ It Old Skool and Sur le rhythme. He was also featured on several international media sources including NBC Today Show, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Much Music, MBC Korea, NTV Japan, CBC, TF-1 France, and many more. In Montreal, Lazylegz has actively organized many internationally known breakdance events, such as Pro-Am, City vs. City (Team Montreal), & No Limits. In 2010, Lazylegz and Illmask performed in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics Opening Ceremonies starring in the “One inspires all” segment, where a world record was broken for the biggest flash mob dance. In 2011, he performed in the Guadalajara ParaPanam Closing Ceremonies.
Aside from traveling the world as a motivational entertainer and as a primary dancer for the world-renowned France theatre company Montalvo-Hervieu in the production of Orphee, Lazylegz invests his time teaching dance at schools for children with disabilities. In 2010, he co-produced an adapted integrated dance version of The Wizard of Oz and The Grinch at the Mackay Centre School. He has also created the J.C Stylez crew at l’École Joseph Charbonneau; an up-and-coming crew that he believes is the future of ILL-Abilities™. 2