Nathan is a South African-born dancer, choreographer, and musician with a diverse international portfolio. He has collaborated with renowned companies and choreographers across the UK and abroad, including Cape Dance Company, Agudo Dance Company, Gecko Theatre, Ballet Nimba, ACE Dance and Music, Mzansi Cymru, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Gugulethu Ballet Project, Rematch and Protein Dance. In 2016, he co-founded MANACAN with Ciara Baldwin. Since its inception, the company has toured extensively, creating and performing original work across a range of platforms. In 2019, MANACAN received the Next @ Martha Graham Award for their piece Rooted in New York City. In 2022, they premiered Survive with South Africa’s Jazzart Dance Theatre, which won the Woordfees Award for Best Performance. Nathan has been working with Protein since 2017, delivering and dancing in Real Life Real Dance projects, Protein 21 and (In)visible Dancing.

George Perez is a professional dancer with a background in contemporary techniques, puppetry, circus and physical theatre. His movement style is highly acrobatic and rooted in floorwork, tricking, and flying low. He has performed internationally across theatre, opera, fashion and film, seamlessly blending dance with physical storytelling.

George trained at Jasmin Vardimon 2, Trinity Laban (BA Hons & CAT Programme), refining his artistry through immersive and high-calibre training. His performance career includes work with Jasmin Vardimon Company, Autin Dance Theatre, KWAM Collective, Michaela Cisarikova Dance Company, and Sonia Sabri Company, among others. Notable credits include performing at the Royal Opera House, London Fashion Week, Rugby League World Cup Cultural Festival, and the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.

With a passion for pushing movement boundaries and integrating dance, theatre, and circus arts, George continues to evolve as a dynamic and expressive performer, captivating audiences across stage and screen.

Mercedes is a dance artist from the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. In her early years, she trained at Caribbean School of Dancing until moving abroad to complete her BA in Dance at the Institute of the Arts Barcelona and MA in Dance Performance and Professional Practices at the University of Salford whilst training and touring nationally with Emergence post-graduate dance company.

Recently, she made her West End debut at the London Coliseum with English National Opera, performing the role of Teenage Girl in their production of Dead Man Walking which won a 2026 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production. Her other career highlights include touring nationally with IRIE! Dance Theatre, dancing in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Youth Games and Barcelona Fashion Week, commercial work for H&M, Levi’s and Bring Me The Horizon, as well as community-based performances with SE19 Dance Project.

Matthew has been working as a professional dancer and movement practitioner for the past 18 years. He began working with Protein dance in 2012, notably performing in (In)visible Dancing and May Contain Food. In his most recent work with the company, Matthew completed a rural tour of the duet May Contain Food, May Contain You.

His training began at Laban, where he completed his degree with first class honours. He then spent a year at London Contemporary Dance School as a member of EDge, performing works by Trisha Brown, Ben Wright and Kerry Nicholls. After graduating, Matthew went on to work with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Bare Bones dance company, and was a founding member of Ben Wright’s company, Bgroup. He has also worked with Liam Steele and Robert Tannion in their company Stan Won’t Dance, performed in operas at home and abroad, taught a series of classes and workshops in China, and completed his MA at London Contemporary Dance School. In recent years he has worked extensively Casson and Friends, and later this year will continue his work on Sleuth with Zoie Logic Dance Theatre – an interactive film Noir detective story. He has just completed his training to become a certified Franklin Method practitioner.

Lauren is a UK-based dance artist, performer, choreographer, and educator with extensive experience across the contemporary dance and Hip Hop sector. She trained at Trinity Laban and has toured, performed, and collaborated with leading UK companies including Uchenna Dance, Boy Blue, SIN Cru, Impact Dance, Keneish Dance, Protein Dance, MOTUS Dance, and Tavaziva Dance. She has also worked as a Rehearsal Director for EQ Dance. Her screen work includes the short films The Conversation by Lanre Malaolu and Contemporary Freelancer by Ella Stewart. As a choreographer, Lauren co-created Choreophobia, which was performed at Somerset House and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is currently training at Identity School of Acting and, in collaboration with a film director, is co-creating a new short dance film. Alongside her creative practice, Lauren teaches at Cambridge School of Visual & Performing Arts and SIN Cru, supporting the next generation of dance artists.

George is a London based saxophonist, composer, arranger & improviser.
Previously, he was Musical Director for Protein’s Invisible Dancing (2019) & En
Route (2021).

George can be heard playing a diverse range of jazz and improvised music
around the UK as either bandleader or sideman. He writes and performs original
contemporary music with his band Ideasthesia and experimental co-led
guitar/saxophone project Solmonath. Past performances include Ronnie Scott’s,
Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Snape Maltings and Cafe OTO.
He is an alumnus of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
(2017-2021), Aldeburgh Young Musicians (2014-17) and currently works with the
National Youth Jazz Orchestra (2020 – present). He offers private woodwind and
improvisation tuition and is available for gigs, recordings and compositional
commissions.

Manchester born drummer, composer and winner of the 2025 Peter Wittingham award,
Miles Pillinger intertwines raw improvisation with rich, uplifting rhythms and melodies of
Brazil. Miles’ playing takes influences from Hermeto Pascoal, Max Roach, Chick Corea,
creating a melodic, creative sound described as ‘The voice of the Youth’ (Nikki Yeoh).
Since graduating from Leeds Conservatoire in 2023, Miles has already made a huge impact
on the UK jazz scene. Currently based in London, he is quickly becoming a go-to drummer on
the scene. Playing with artists such as Olivia Cuttill, Tara lily, Nikki Yeoh, Mica Millar, Chip
Wickham and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, With the ability to seamlessly change
between any genre.
Having grown up in a musical household, listening to the likes of Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis,
Joshua Redman from a young age, he has always been deeply rooted in jazz.
During his studies in Leeds, he became fascinated in Brazilian Music. This led him to live and
study in Brazil In 2025 to further deepen his understanding of Brazilian music and culture.
His upcoming debut album ‘Belonging’ highlights the importance of what and who makes
you feel you, conveyed through his Afro-Brazilian jazz inspired compositions.
His 2023 debut EP ‘Sunrise’ demonstrates his ability to combine singable, meaningful
melodies alongside colourful improvisation inviting you into a unique sound world unlike any
other.

Trumpet player Celeste Cantor-Stephens plays music that focuses on the creative and exploratory,
embracing a range of practices and traditions, from klezmer to jazz to free improvisation. She is
also a composer, writer and educator-facilitator. Balancing practice and academia, Celeste has
studied widely, including with trumpeter-composer Dave Douglas, at institutions such as the
Conservatoire de Caen (Normandy) and the Creative Music Studio (NY), and gaining postgraduate
degrees from Oxbridge universities.

Celeste is deeply committed to developing the relationship between music and work that is socially
and politically engaged, with human experience at its centre. She focuses, in particular, on human
displacement and borders, and on radical approaches to education, using creative, interdisciplinary
approaches as an expressive, human-led means of exploring and confronting.