Luca Silvestrini, Artistic Director
Luca Silvestrini, Artistic Director
Born in Jesi, Italy, Luca graduated in Performing Arts at Bologna University. In 1995, he moved to London to study at the Laban Centre (Professional Diploma in Dance Studies), where he joined Transitions Dance Company in 1997. Since then Luca has worked with Maxine Doyle's First Person, Catherine Seymour Dance Company, Rose's Thoughts, Sarah Rubidge, Joanna Portolou, Ruth Segalis and Aletta Collins. Between 1997-2002, Luca joined The Featherstonehaughs, performing in Lea Anderson's The Featherstonehaughs Draw on the Sketch Book of Egon Schiele and, subsequently, together with The Cholmondeleys, in Smithereens and 3. Most recently he has performed with Bock & Vincenzi.
In addition to his work for Protein, Luca has created Legs Bums and Tums (Welsh Independent Dance, 2001) Soirée (Transitions Dance Company, 2003), Microphobia (CandoCo, 2003/4), Woz 'Ere (DAiR-DanceXchange, 2003), I Close My Eyes (From Here to Maturity, 2004), To the Bone (Bare Bones, 2004), Beauty Cells (Commissioned by Intoto), Alfresco (Yorkshire Dance, 2005), Crossroad (Isadora Duncan Centre, Athens, 2007), Valresco (CCN Roubaix, 2007), On Display (International Dance Festival, Birmingham, 2008) and White-Hot (Company of Elders, 2007). He has also choreographed for Eat London (LIFT), Heat (Gate Theatre), The Good Family (Royal Court Theatre) and The Time of Our Freedom (Youth Music Theatre), all in 2007.
Luca was one of the first recipients of the Rayne Fellowship for choreographers in 2006, with secondments to Glyndebourne
Opera, LIFT, Royal Court Theatre, Dance United and Refugee Council. He has undertaken research projects as part of Jerwood Changing Stages Choreolab in 2004 and 2006, Writing on the Body, Writing on the Page at Southbank Centre and Sadlers Wells' Big Intensive 2006 and 2008.
Sarah Trist, General Manager
Sarah Trist studied Music in Winchester and Cardiff before moving to London and beginning her career in arts management at Riverside Studios in 1984. She went on to be Administrator at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre and since then has worked as a freelance arts manager and producer, specializing since 1995 in setting up and running contemporary dance projects. She has been working with Protein Dance since 1999.
Board members
Ken Bartlett
Toby Beazley
Hans de Kretser
Colin Marsh
Carolyn Naish
Polly Risbridger