2010/2011 Protégé Finalists Announced

Meet the promising young artists from 15 countries chosen as potential protégés for the 2010/2011 cycle of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Rolex will announce the names of the six Protégés from June onwards.

Dance:

  • Lee Serle

    Lee Serle is a 27-year-old dancer and choreographer from Australia, performing with a company in Melbourne.

  • Katarzyna Sitarz

    Katarzyna Sitarz, 24, is a Polish dancer who moved to Rotterdam to study. She continues to dance, teach and choreograph in The Netherlands.

  • Bruce Wong

    Bruce Wong, 31, performed with City Contemporary Dance Company in his native Hong Kong before moving to the united States where he is furthering his studies of contemporary dance.

Film:

  • Annemarie Jacir

    Annemarie Jacir, 36, a Jordanian director and screenwriter of Palestinian origin. She has been working in independent cinema since 1994.

  • Nadejda Koseva

    Nadejda Koseva is a 35-year-old Bulgarian film director whose short film Omelette was screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Literature:

  • Luke Kennard

    Luke Kennard, 28, is a poet and short story writer from the United Kingdom whose comic writing has been winning awards since he began publishing in 2005.

  • Dinaw Mengestu

    Dinaw Mengestu is a 31-year-old best-selling author. Born in Ethiopia, he grew up in Chicago and now lives in France.

  • Tracy K. Smith

    Tracy K. Smith, 37, is an American poet. She is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University.

Music:

  • Jace Clayton

    Jace Clayton, 34, is an American DJ and producer. As well as playing music, he hosts a radio show in New York and writes articles for music magazines.

  • Ben Frost

    Ben Frost, 29, is a musician, composer and producer recognized for his experimental music. Born in Australia, he now lives in Iceland.

  • Federico Simón Mejía

    Federico Simón Mejía is a 32-year-old Columbian musician and visual artist. He produces Latin music, mixing folk and electronica elements, as well as films.

Theatre:

  • Natalie Hennedige

    Natalie Hennedige, 35, is the Artistic Director of Cake Theatrical Productions in her native Singapore. She also performs and writes works for the stage.

  • Monthatip Suksopha

    Monthatip Suksopha, 36, of Thailand, is a shadow theatre expert. Her company, Wandering Moon, is based in Chiang Mai.

  • Maya Zbib

    Maya Zbib is a 28-year-old theatre and performance artist living and working in Lebanon. She is a founding member of Zoukak Theatre Company.

Visual Arts:

  • Hemali Bhuta

    Hemali Bhuta of India, 31, is a multi-media artist. She works primarily with perishable, impermanent materials.

  • Nicholas Hlobo

    Nicholas Hlobo, is a 34-year-old, South African artist. His work has been exhibited in London, Boston, Oslo, Havana and China.

  • Srinivasa Prasad

    Srinivasa Prasad, 35, is a sculptor whose large-scale and site-specific work with natural and found materials is garnering critical acclaim in India.

  • Bright Ugochukwu Eke

    Bright Ugochukwu Eke, 33, is an installation artist based in Nigeria. He has participated extensively in international exhibitions.