Helen Simoneau Danse. Photo by Hope Youngblood.
RISE & SHINE Helen Simoneau - Photography by Olly Yung with direction by Eli Gray
H
elen Simoneau is an internationally renowned, North Carolina-based choreographer, as well as the founder and artistic director of her company, Helen Simoneau Danse. Highly sought-after by companies, schools, panels and festivals, Simoneau has been described by Dance Magazine as “a choreographer-on-the-rise,” with a style that is both “athletic and smooth.” Simoneau has presented her choreography around the world and has been commissioned by the likes of The Juilliard School and the American Dance Festival. Helen Simoneau Danse was originally scheduled for the Wortham Center Presents 2020/2021 Season, but, due to the pandemic, these
performances will be rescheduled for future dates. We recently spoke with Simoneau about her experience as a performing artist in North Carolina and also the effect this past year has had on her work. Please share a little about your history and relationship with dance. When did you begin? When did you fall in love with it, and when did you know you wanted to turn this passion into your life’s work? Coming from a small village in Eastern Québec, dance training wasn’t easily accessible to me. I was always active and spent much of my childhood skiing 16
