Luca Silvestrini, Artistic Director
Born in Jesi, Italy, Luca graduated in Performing Arts at Bologna University. In 1995, he moved to London to complete his dance training at Laban. Since then Luca has worked with Maxine Doyle's First Person, Catherine Seymour Dance Company, The Featherstonehaughs, Rose's Thoughts, Bock & Vincenzi, Sarah Rubidge, Joanna Portolou, Ruth Segalis and Aletta Collins.

His choreography dates from 1997 when he co-founded Protein Dance. As Artistic Director he is known for idiosyncratic dance theatre work provoked by its deep connections with the everyday. His personality is stamped on large-scale cross-generational and participatory events including the world record-breaking Big Dance Class, Eat London (which won a Visit London Gold Award) and Big World Dance 2010, both of which took place in Trafalgar Square. He has created full-length intergenerational productions in Valenciennes, Athens, Barcelona and Greenwich; and has taught and presented Protein’s participatory work at schools and conferences in Singapore, Spain and Italy.

In addition to his work for Protein, Luca has created work for Transitions Dance Company, CandoCo, Bare Bones, Intoto, From Here To Maturity, Company of Elders at Sadler’s Wells and Sankalpalm. Theatre and opera credits include work for English National Opera, Theatre Rites, Royal Court Theatre, Duckie and Youth Music Theatre UK. He has won a Jerwood Choreography Award, a Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award and The Place Prize 2006 Audience Award and was one of the first recipients of a Rayne Choreography Award (2006). In 2012 Luca and Protein were presented with a New Connections Award by the British Council in Italy for the valuable contribution made in developing closer relations between the UK and Italy. He is a Work Place artist.

Current performers

Real Life Real Dance programme
Jon Beney
Patsy Browne-Hope
PJ Hurst
Valentina Golfieri
Sally Marie

LOL (lots of love)
Jon Beney 
Patsy Browne-Hope
Valentina Golfieri
Kip Johnson/PJ Hurst
Sally Marie
Stuart Waters

Board members
Ken Bartlett
Adam Brown
Hans de Kretser
Colin Marsh
Carolyn Naish
Polly Risbridger