Hannah Silva is a theatre director, performer and writer. She has a background in music, a First Class degree in choreography and performance writing from Dartington College of Arts, and is currently studying at Exeter University (MFA in Theatre Practice) funded by the AHRC. She has shown performance work in Devon, London, Amsterdam, The Tokyo Design Centre, Japan, The BAT  Theatre, Berlin and The Theatre in Pflazbau,  Ludwigshafen. She regularly performs poetry in various venues in the South West and London and was awarded the 2007 Artsbase Literature award. In 2006 she and Chloe Langford formed the working collaboration ‘Silva Langford,’ within this collaboration they work with film, poetry, theatre and dance. Short films by Silva Langford have been screened at The Barn Cinema, Dartington, The Arnolfini, Bristol, The BAT theatre, Berlin, and Dartington College of Arts.

Poetry

Hannah Silva’s poetry currently centres around experimentation with voice, language and soundtracks, and has been described as “Innovative, experimental, raw, sexy, brave, original and a breath of fresh air” by Jenni Doherty [Editor with Irish Publishing House, Guildhall press]

-see ‘home’ for details of upcoming poetry and theatre performances

Publications

Spring 08 – poems published by journal, Tears in the Fence, the Pedestal Magazine and London Poetry Systems.
September 07 – Sound and poetry published on Hecale, [online journal and writer’s resource]
September 07 – Four poems published by Stride Magazine [online poetry journal]
July 07 -  Poetry recordings published by Openned, distributed in London and online
April 07- Text from A Different kind of rape published by Openned
March 07 – Five poems published by Peter Philpott in Great Works [online poetry journal]
February 2007 – Several poems published in Synapse 3 by Olchar E. Lindsann, [The United States ]
January 2006 – Poetry published in Sponge Pudding –zine produced by the gallery One C, South Brent, Devon
2003 – Wrote the short story, Apicius, for the interdisciplinary production Mensa Secunda, which toured throughout Holland and was also presented at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol.

Performances and Film

I perform poetry regularly in the South West and London, for example at the 2008 London Poetry Festival and as guest poet for Uncut poets (Exeter Phoenix) and The Language club (Plymouth Arts Centre)

Sept 07 -Facing States [short film by Silva Langford] finalist at the Totnes short film festival, Shoot, screened at the Barn Cinema, Dartington and The Barrel House, Totnes.

March 07 – Five Star Hotel [short film by Silva Langford] shown at the Alnolfini, Bristol, live art/dance platform

March 07 – A Different kind of rape, [dance/theatre performance by Silva Langford] reached the finals of the International Choreography competition, ‘No Ballet,’ Theater im Pfalzbau, Ludwigshafen, Germany.

December 2006 – Five Star Hotel, [short dance film] screened at the BAT Theatre, Berlin. [choreographed/performed by Silva Langford. Soundtrack by Hannah Silva, text montage by Hannah Silva, actual text from graffiti in Berlin, camera and editing by Chloe Langford]

December 2006 – A different kind of rape, (dance/theatre performance) shown at the BAT theatre, Berlin. [Choreography and performance by Hannah Silva and Chloe Langford. Soundtrack, music and text by Hannah Silva]

July – Sept 2006 -  Collaborated (as dancer/choreographer) with Diana Piltcher on her PHD research project, Dartington College of Arts. The collaboration resulted in a dance film.

March 2006 – Invited by Butoh dancer/choreographer Tetsuro Fukuhara to perform with Tetsuro Fukuhara and other invited dancers from around the world within Space Dance, conference and performances, The Tokyo Design Centre, Japan.

March 2006 - Prosthetics [dance/theatre solo] Tokyo Design Centre, Japan. [performance, choreography and text by Hannah Silva]

March 2006 – Curated and performed poetry in the second Concourse [cross-disciplinary performance platform organized by Hannah Silva, Uta Baldauf, Alle Johnson and Lara White. Dartington College of Arts]

July 2005 – Performed Pink-Frilled Lover (text/voice/movement) at Floorless Dance, choreography platform organized by Hannah Silva at Dartington College.

2004 – Site specific movement and voice research with theatre director, Miguel Silva, Portugal.

2003- Practice based research in collaboration with Yitka Charapova (dancer), Gareth Sommers (director) and Miguel Silva [director], Amsterdam. This was a research on dance and electronics sponsored by STEIM.  

2003 – Choreographer, writer and musician in Tracce, a performance sponsored by the Practicum Generale Fonds (Amsterdam) dir. Miguel Silva.

2003 – Toured Holland and England with Mensa Secunda, assisting the direction of the performance, documenting the performance, making and designing props etc.

2002 - Performed own composition in London, for the Walter Bergmann music funds.

2002 – Performed in Maastricht, performance was aired on Dutch national radio- this performance combined music with movement, composed by Dutch Composer, Paul Omen.

1999-2002 – Regularly performed in concerts in London organized by The Purcell School of Music and The Royal College of Music [junior department]

Education

Sept 2007-Sept 2009 – Exeter University, Master of Fine Arts, Theatre Practices [funded by the AHRC]

July 2007 – Graduated from Dartington College of Arts, Choreography with textual practices, BAhons, First Class degree

Sept-Dec 06 – Studied dance at the Ernst Busch college in Berlin with Ingo Reulecke, on the Erasmus exchange program

2002-2003 - Studied music improvisation and composition with Paul Leenhouts, Amsterdam Conservatorium.

2000-2002 The Purcell School of Music, Watford, instrumental lessons from The Royal Academy of Music.  [A-levels: Music A, English Lit B, Art B.]