Winner of The Stage Awards Community Project of the Year, 2023
This performance brought together an ensemble of people from Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo, Egypt, Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Ukraine and UK.
Over four weeks, participants and artists reawakened themselves through creativity and the desire to be together. They have danced, sung, laughed, reconnected and shared their individual stories and collective resilience.
There and Here is dedicated to the *123.2 million people worldwide forcibly displaced because of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or disasters of climate change.
This project is part of Protein Dance’s inclusion programme, Real Life Real Dance. This work seeks to engage and empower using Protein’s performance-led collaborative approach inspired by the participants’ lives and experiences.
* Source: https://www.unhcr.org/mid-year-trends
Reviews
"An incredibly emotional performance where the hopes and stories of all the participants shined through. A celebration of each unique person and of collective humanity." Audience member
"This show will stay with me for a very long time. How utterly incredible that this can come together in four weeks." Audience member
"I feel very blessed to have experienced such a poignant and unifying message for humanity - for resilience and for compassion." Audience member
"I feel alive, inspired and will remember that we can always create a space for belonging if we listen and support." Audience member
"I feel very moved. I think this piece was very necessary given today's political climate." Audience member
"Needs to be staged again for more people to see." Audience member
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.
Anna Des Clayes is a community dance facilitator and choreographer whose work centres on participation, intergenerational exchange, and social connection through movement. She collaborates closely with charities supporting refugee and migrant communities, using creative practice as a space for storytelling, care, and collective belonging.
Anna originally trained professionally at London Studio Centre, but an early career injury led her to step away from dance and pursue her parallel interest in science. She studied science at the University of St Andrews before going on to work as a science teacher in London and Madrid. She later returned to the arts to complete an MA in Choreography at the University of Chichester, graduating with a first-class degree.
Her recent projects include Trails of Migration (2022), commissioned by Sussex Dance Network and co-created with refugee and migrant women; Communi-ties from the Past (2023), developed through South East Dance’s Brighton Fringe Bursary and featuring performers aged 11 to 86; and Portals (2025), an immersive work for Brighton Fringe. Her piece PlayTime has been presented at multiple venues, including the Southbank Centre and DanceEast.
Alongside her choreographic practice, Anna leads regular intergenerational dance sessions in Crawley, teaches yoga to children, young people, and adults, and curates community dance events across Brighton and Sussex.
Ramin is an Iranian born multidisciplinary artist specializing in music, painting, and calligraphy. He began his artistic journey during his teenage years and has been working professionally in these fields since 2004. Ramin continues to create art and perform music, collaborating with the music group Delband on musical productions and performances. Additionally, he remains actively engaged in producing paintings and calligraphy pieces as part of his ongoing artistic practice.
Ramin has been collaborating with Protein since 2021 and took part in numerous projects as both a participant, team member and guest artist.
Anthar Kharana is a well-known Colombian musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist from the small town Ocaña. He comes from a line of musicians and is self-taught from the early age of eight. Anthar delivers a wide range of music styles and has a deep understanding of melody and complex rhythms, thanks to his passion for music from the world wide over.
He has been sharing traditions from his homeland in Europe for over fourteen years, as well as directing music projects and bands. Anthar runs musical workshops and performances, and collaborates with dancers and choreographers including Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, Vocab Dance and SinMan Dance. He is also a regular music accompanist at London Contemporary Dance School in London.
Uniquely, Anthar has mastered a wide range of vocal abilities from mellow feminine tones to deep growled Mongolian throat singing. Further to this, he is also a Sound Therapy Practitioner (British Academy of Sound Therapy) using his understanding of music and sound as a healing tool. He runs workshops, sacred music concerts, traditional ceremonies, private sessions and musical retreats worldwide.
Anthar is the Director of Tribal Sound Healing UK and Colombia, and is Co-Director of the first school of Sound Healing in Scotland: ANSU School of Sound and Tribal Healing Arts.
Currently Anthar can be seen performing with Luca Silvestrini’s Protein in Border Tales.
Protein would like to thank and celebrate all the participants who have been part of the process but could not join on stage.
We also thank the following for their generosity and support of this project: Maria Ryan, Eddie Nixon, Marco Cifre and staff at The Place; Rosemary J Brown: Izzie Kott, Andy Ruiz Palma and staff and volunteers at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants; Andrew Coombe, Samantha Mcneil from Camden Council; Saba Asif from Camden Borough of Sanctuary; Faiza Hussain and Eli Guler at Young Roots; Jenny Noé-Nordberg and Anastasia Haman at Families4Peace.
A special thank goes to Benugo Staff at The Place for providing lunches throughout the project.
Protein connects people and everyday life through dance.
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