LET IT BE (2006)

 

Original choreography: Ross McKim (2006)
Reimagined by Siân Hopkins
Music: Let It Be - Beatles, Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel, Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
Music arrangement: Tom Kirkpatrick
Guitar & Vocals: Tom Kirkpatrick
Piano: Henry Green
Backing Vocals: Byron Horne 
Dancers: Amy Adams, Roxi Beca, Narina Bîra, Evie Cummings, Kianna Dalton, Tegan Emery-Barker, Blodwyn Jenkins, Cayleigh Long, Mariyah Mahmood, Alice Miano, Thailee Nunes Malter, Ellie Pirie, Ashleigh Morgan-Read, Alexandra Sharman- Le-Lean, Ashleigh Stohr, Teleri Symons.
Let It Be was first created in 2006. Since then it has been performed as part of graduation shows at Rambert School and as excerpts and solos with Moving Visions Dance Theatre at cathedrals around the UK.
The choreography for the first section of Let It Be was originally made in collaboration with children from Isleworth Primary School, who participated in creative workshops with Ross McKim and students from Rambert School. The movement captures a simplicity to how children see and interpret the world.
Experiencing a global pandemic has left the world we live in disrupted - full of unknowns and shifting, conflicting perspectives. Each song in its own way, through the sadness and apprehension of dark times, offers hope and connection. 
This reimagining of the work is a collaboration between Siân Hopkins and the dancers, another evolution of the piece. We hope you enjoy our interpretation.
 

SIÂN HOPKINS

Siân Hopkins is a Lecturer in Dance at Middlesex University. She holds a First-Class Honours degree in Dance and an MA with Distinction in Dance Performance with Specialisation in Ritual from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Since graduating, she has had the pleasure of working with a variety of companies, independent artists and projects both near and far. The most inspirational time she spent dancing was in cathedrals and sacred sites with Moving Visions Dance Theatre, seeking the numinous and exploring meaning in the arts. This work led to pursuing a career in dance education and becoming Research Assistant to Dr Ross McKim as well as Principal Artist and Rehearsal Director for the company. Siân has taught at dance institutions around the UK as well as guest teaching in Japan, Singapore, Vietnam and Canada. Choreographic commissions include various site-specific and cathedral-based projects, Cantata Dramatica's choral dramatisations and collaborative screendance productions, she has also restaged iconic works and choreographed for graduation showcases. Siân is currently Contemporary Lead Lecturer for the ISTD, training teachers, lecturers and examiners in the contemporary syllabi. She co-founded Kamavera Dance Theatre with musician and composer Tom Kirkpatrick in 2019, to engage in collaborative creativity and expression through screendance and live performance. The themes explored through the company’s work aims to inspire curiosity and reflection, going hand in hand with the belief that dance enables us to become more empathetic, open and generous human beings.

 

ROSS MCKIM

Ross McKim was Principal and Artistic Director of the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance from 1985 to 2015, having previously been a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and London Contemporary Dance Theatre.  He founded Moving Visions Dance Theatre in 1976 and has choreographed for, amongst others, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada, English National Opera, and the Tyne Wear Theatre Company. Ross has an MA in Dance Studies from the University of Surrey and a PhD in Theology from the University of Durham. He has written four books, and is the subject of an award-winning documentary film, The Gospel of Ross McKim. 

 

TOM KIRKPATRICK

Tom Kirkpatrick has worked as a class accompanist for vocational schools and dance institutions since 2007, using guitar, vocals and percussion to colour the studio from the corner. Alongside playing for Rambert School, The Royal Ballet School and Middlesex University he also work with companies such as, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Rambert Dance Company and Phoenix Dance Theatre accompanying both company classes and professional workshops.
 
Joining Moving Visions Dance Theatre in 2012, led by Ross McKim, Tom toured and performed with the company, becoming Director of Music in 2015. His work with McKim greatly informed Tom’s artistic development as a contributor to the world of dance and dance training.
 
Alongside playing for class, Tom has composed, arranged and performed music for assessed solos, homegrown pieces, repertoire and PhD presentations. He was commissioned to create the music for all levels of the ISTD’s contemporary dance syllabi, which is now being disseminated worldwide. Co-founder of Kamavera Dance Theatre, Tom has composed and directed movement for works including Temporal Discord (2019) Resolution! The Place, and Thirteenth Hour (2016) a collaborative screendance production.
 
Tom has a great passion for working with dance, and is excited to continue exploring creative contributions to dance training and performance.
 

BYRON HORNE 

 Byron has always had a passion for singing and music in general: he is a very accomplished multi-instrumentalist and has been enthusiastic about bringing his knowledge of instrumental music into vocal genres. Byron began singing soprano for a local community youth choir in Romsey at the the age of 11, and by 14 was singing tenor; participating as an active member of the more selective ‘chamber choir’ too.   Byron has performed both as a choral singer and soloist where he has been invited to sing with the highly talented Romsey Male Voice Choir. Byron also conducts both choral and instrumental ensembles including the Middlesex University Choir and Otterbourne Theatre Company displaying a love for sharing music with all ages and abilities along the way.