LEROY DIAS DOS SANTOS

Throughout his career Leroy has had the pleasure of meeting and working with prestigious people such as HM The Queen, Prince Charles, Jermaine
Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Jason Statham, Will.I.AM, Jessie J, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, Sugababes, Aston Merrygold and choreographers such as Jermaine Brown, Rafael Bonachela, Shobana Jesaysingh, Mavin Khoo and companies such as The English National Ballet. After graduating in 2007, he performed in theatre productions such as 'Carmen Jones' (2007) at The Royal Festival Hall, 'La Traviata' (2007) and 'Aida' (2008) conducted under The Welsh National Opera. He is also a member of the street dance sensation Flawless, who were finalists on ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ (2009). They featured in movies such as ‘Street Dance 3D’ 1 and 2 by Vertigo films (2009) and have currently been touring their theatre production ‘Chase the Dream 2’ (2018-2019) across the UK and internationally.Louise’s research with Dr Lise Uytterhoeven is published in the Research in Dance Education Journal and her writing about dance careers can be found in the One Dance UK Education Bulletin. Louise has participated in One Dance UKs ‘Dance Teaching Mentoring Programme’ and the Royal Opera House’s ‘Creative Learning Practice Programme’, receiving creative mentorship from Jasmin Vardimon Company, Studio Wayne McGregor and MÓTUS.

As well as performing, he has also had the opportunity to choreograph and collaborate with Susie Mckenna on ‘Mandem On The Wall’ Live Show at Hackney Empire (2015) and ‘Macbeth’ with Twist Theatre Company (2015-2016), ‘Hosea’s Girl’ (2015) a Hip Hop spoken word play written by Anastasia Osei- Kuffour.
Leroy is currently based at Middlesex University and IRIE! Dance Theatre teaching urban/hip hop social dances, contemporary technique and choreography. He has also had the opportunity to work with different dance institutions such as Urdang Academy and Roehampton University, which have all played a significant role to his teaching.

Instagram: @leroyfx            Web: www.leroydias.com

Image: Josh Chow

SIÂN HOPKINS

Siân Hopkins, Lecturer in Dance at Middlesex University is a performer, creator, teacher. 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 Company (2006-2018), 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's research interests lie in teaching methodologies focussed on the cultivation of positive self-perception through dance training and performance.

She has been a dance lecturer at Rambert School (2012-2021) and a guest teacher at dance institutions around the UK as well as in Japan, Singapore, Vietnam and Canada. Siân has restaged iconic works and choreographed for graduation showcases. Choreographic commissions include various site-specific and cathedral-based projects, Cantata Dramatica's choral dramatisations and collaborative screendance productions. She is also Lead Lectuer for Contemporary with the ISTD, training teachers and examiners in the contemporary syllabi.

Siân co-founded Kamavera Dance Theatre with musician and composer Tom Kirkpatrick in 2019, engaging in collaborative creativity and expression through screendance and live performance. The themes explored through the company's work aim 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.