Luke Schaufuss was born in Camberley, Surrey and trained at the Royal Danish Ballet. He joined the Sarasota Ballet in 2019 as a principal dancer. Luke Schaufuss is the third generation of a growing Schaufuss dance dynasty. His grandparents were the leading lights Mona Vangsaae and Frank Schaufuss of the Royal Danish Ballet, and he is the son of international ballet stars Zara Deakin and Peter Schaufuss, his sister Tara Schaufuss is a talented dancer with The Royal Danish Ballet.
Luke grew up in the theatre and started dancing full time at the age of six when he joined The Royal Danish Ballet School. As a child, Luke danced the part of Prince William in Diana The Princess and in Charles the Prince, “The boy” in H.C Andersen, “Childhood” in the Michael Jackson production of “Michael I'm Bad“, as well as in Kermessen in Brügges, Harald, and the Beatles “She Loves You“. Luke has also participated in the West End productions of the Rolling Stone s Satisfaction, the Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland production of Divas. At only 16 years of age; Luke created the title role in a new production of the British rock band “The Whos” legendary production Tommy.
Luke joined The Royal Danish Ballet at the age of 16, dancing the full repertory with the company including several soloist roles, from the traditional Bournonville classics Napoli, La Sylphide, A Folktale, La Ventana, and Kermessen in Brugges, to the international repertory including A Midsummer Nights Dream, Lady of the Camelias, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, and Etudes, by celebrated choreographers such as John Neumeier, George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Peter Martins and Harald Lander. Luke has toured the U.S.A with The Royal Danish Ballet performing in Orange County, San Francisco, Washington D.C and New York as well as performed at the Paris Opera. He guested with the Peter Schaufuss Ballet, in the production of “The Tchaikovsky Trilogy” to celebrate the Olympics at the London Coliseum in 2012. In 2013 he was chosen to dance the title role in Sir Frederick Ashtons legendary Romeo and Juliet on the national tour of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to great critical acclaim. Luke was invited to join the renowned Birmingham Royal Ballet in November 2013. Since joining the company he has danced in Sir Peter Wright's Nutcracker and Swan Lake, John Cranko's Card Game, Balanchines Slaughter on 10th Avenue and Theme and Variations, Sir Kenneth McMillan's Elite Syncopations and Romeo & Juliet, David Bintley's productions of Prince of The Pagodas, Beauty and The Beast, Sylvia and The King Dances, Alexander Whitleys creation of Kin, Sir Frederick Ashtons Façade, Les Rendezvous, Dante Sonata and La Fille Mal Gardee.
In August 2014 Luke danced his first James in La Sylphide at the prestigious 6th Bournonville Festival in Biarritz in France. In January 2015 Luke was selected the rising star of dance for 2015, by the highly respected Observer and Guardian, British national newspapers in London. Last year he was guest dancing with the Los Angeles Ballet at their world premiere of the Sleeping Beauty as well as guest starring as James in the Olivier Award-winning production of La Sylphide with QLD Ballet in Brisbane Australia, and at the Coliseum in London. He appeared with Darcey Bussell in “Darcey's Ballet Heroes” for BBC Television program in December 2015.
In 2016 Luke danced the role of Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet for the first time as a guest with Los Angeles Ballet, the role original created by Sir Frederick Ashton for his grandfather Frank Schaufuss at the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen in 1955. Following that he staged and guested in La Sylphide for Birgit Keils company in Karlsruhe. Luke joined Scottish Ballet as a Soloist on July 4 2016, where he has performed lead roles in Ivgi & Grebens Each Other, Scottish Ballet's production of a Rite of Spring, as well in A Streetcar named desire which toured the USA. Furthermore he danced the prince in both Cinderella, and Peter Darrel's Nutcracker. Since joining the Sarasota Ballet he's performed the lead in many ballets, including Ricardo Graziano's 'Soshakovich Suite', 'Murcia' and 'Weightlessness', George Balanchine's "Theme and Variations", as well as the 4th Movement of "Western Symphony", Robbins' "Fancy Free", Lead in "Les Rendezvous" and "Dante Sonata" by Sir Frederick Ashton, Mcmillan's "Dance Concertante", Solo man in Dominic Walsh's 'I Napolitani, Albrecht in Sir Peter Wright's production of 'Giselle', original cast of Sir David Bintley's new production of 'A Comedy of Errors'.
As of 2020 he's also a teacher and co-director of Edinburgh Festival Ballet & School.