Luca Silvestrini's Protein Brings (IN)VISIBLE DANCING to Hull City of Culture 2017

Later this month the streets of Hull will come alive with dancing as Luca Silvestrini's Protein brings its outdoor spectacular (In)visible Dancing to the city. Along the way, performances will feature dance artists, boxing and capoeira, plus a host of Hull performance groups including O'Connor Academy of Irish Dance, Kingston Swing Lindy Hop Group, Tango Hull and local street dance crew, Horizon.

The 12th edition of (In)visible Dancing will gradually emerge over several days from pop up, incidental behaviour on the streets, culminating in a huge outdoor dance theatre finale on Saturday 1 July 2017 in Hull city centre. Hull residents of any dance ability, including complete beginners, are invited to join a dancing 'flashmob' as part of the finale. Brief flashmob rehearsals take place after many of the performances throughout the project (full schedule below) and are led by the company's professional dancers.

Protein dancer Jon Beney is from Hull and has been instrumental in gathering local groups to participate in the nine-day extravaganza, as company ambassador. He said, "This show is fantastic as it offers each city it visits a chance to show off many local talented dance groups from salsa to break dancing and ballroom to tango, to name just a few. This year's special edition for Hull will not only have live local musicians but performers from other disciplines such as boxing and cheerleading! (In)visible Dancing gives a chance for everyone to get involved even if you've never danced before. And the best thing is that it's absolutely free to watch, and to join in."

First staged in Birmingham in 2010, and since in cities all over the UK, each performance of (In)visible Dancing begins as a small event and increases in size as it appears daily, growing in number of performers and choreographic complexity. Engaging with the location and behaviour of passers-by, the event reaches climax and finishes with a finale performance, bringing together over 100 performers, including any passers-by who have learned the steps.

Speaking about the company's participation in Hull UK City of Culture 2017, Luca Silvestrini said: "We are really excited to contribute to the UK City of Culture 2017 celebrations in Hull, and to renew ties with the region. We are looking forward to working with Hull's practicing artists and the next generation of creatives in the city."

Martin Green, director at Hull UK City of Culture 2017, said: "(In)visible Dancing is going to turn the city into a performance playground, animating the streets of Hull as never seen before. We're all very excited to see how each performance progresses and involves the people who live in, work in and visit the city. It's definitely going to be something that must not be missed."

Formed in 1997 and currently one of the most distinctive voices in British dance theatre, Protein uses a blend of original choreography, humour and music to entertain and provoke audiences. Artistic Director Luca Silvestrini's desire to connect theatrical experience with real-life stories results in witty shows, both on- and off-stage, that reflect the absurdity in everyday situations and experiences.

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