Luca Silvestrini's Protein Announces Programme Of Work For Refugee Week

As part of this year's Refugee Week (20 - 26 June) Luca Silvestrini's Protein is presenting a programme of events sharing their work with refugees and asylum seekers. This includes a dance workshop with Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (21 June), training for artists working with refugees (23 June) and culminates in a special celebration of culture and food at the premiere screening of their new documentary 'There and Here' (25 June). The theme of this year's Refugee Week is 'healing', a theme which is embodied in Protein's work with displaced people.

In March/April of this year, Luca Silvestrini's Protein invited an ensemble of asylum seekers and refugees to participate in a dance project as part of Protein's inclusion programme Real Life Real Dance. The group, aged from 19 to 70 years old from all over the world, came together for three and a half weeks to share their stories and their cultures, to learn, to heal, to connect and to create, culminating in a dance and music performance at The Place entitled There And Here. The documentary made about their journey will premiere at Woolwich Works on Saturday 25th June as part of an event alongside artist and refugee-led craft workshops, dance and music activities and a free buffet lunch to celebrate the contribution of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to culture and society.

Participant Ibrahim (not his real name) from Sudan had been having difficulties with housing problems and physiotherapy for his leg and back. He said "In my country, Sudan, dance was part of the life of the people. People love to dance in the community and with friends. I had joined many projects but this one was not about housing and life issues, this one was about yourself and your feeling and listening to music and what you're going to do with your body. Joining the project helped clear my mind. I was dancing and doing exercise and I didn't need to go to physiotherapy. The time helped me a lot with my English. I enjoyed speaking and listening to opinions of different people from different cultures.

"It made a big difference to my life. After I finished the project, I still felt a part of it."

Earlier in the week Luca Silvestrini will be leading a community dance workshop at a day celebrating the Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network at Woolwich Common Community Centre, alongside boxing, yoga and craft activities, and a free lunch (21 June). The refugees meet there weekly and are all local to Lewisham and Greenwich, and they will also be invited to the celebration on the 25th. Participants from There And Here will reconnect at a private preview screening of the documentary with a dance workshop at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants on 22 June, and on 23 June, Protein will be running a Zoom training session in partnership with People Dancing for dance artists who want to expand their practice of working with refugees and migrants,

Protein's work with refugees and migrants provides a safe environment that allows each participant to develop creative ideas. It is a platform for them to explore, express and present their diverse lives and experiences, while also building new skills that they can take with them into their own communities. Protein provides opportunities for participants to build trust and friendship with other people and allows a platform to enhance linguistic skills through storytelling and workshops, whilst developing their ability to express themselves in a variety of ways.

Protein's Real Life Real Dance inclusion programme also encompasses creative projects with young people in Pupil Referral Units (PRU) and elders in care homes.

Formed in 1997, Luca Silvestrini's Protein is one the most distinctive voices in British dance theatre. The company is known for its unique style combining choreography, music, spoken word and social commentary to present the everyday in revealing and subversive ways, on- and off-stage. Protein's work, including Dear Body, LOL (lots of love), Border Tales, The Little Prince, En Route and dance film The Sun Inside, has toured the world. Protein was awarded the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Best Independent Dance Company 2011 and was nominated again in 2016. Luca has won a Jerwood Choreography Award, a Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award, The Place Prize Audience Award. He has recently been awarded the prestigious Premio della Critica by the Italian Associazione Nazionale Critici di Teatro for his work in dance. Protein is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, Resident Artistic Company at Woolwich Works and Luca is an Affiliate Artist at The Place.

The project is funded by Rebecca Dykes Foundation with additional funding from Berkeley Group, Trust for London - Local Action Poverty Fund, Crowdfunding Campaign Donors and ongoing funding from Arts Council England. The project is supported by The Place, Islington Centre of Refugees and Migrants, Woolwich Works, Migrant Help UK, Royal Borough of Greenwich and Snow Creative Design.

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