When the call came offering Helen Hansen French a job as a professional dancer in New York City she didn’t have to ask who was calling. Jacqulyn Buglisi had been one of Helen’s instrutors at Juilliard.
Buglisi wondered if the new graduate would like to dance with her company – Buglisi Dance Theatre. Looking back nine years later, Helen says the company was a perfect fit for her as a dancer and a person.
“There is a dramatic component to it that touches me and my humanity. That’s where I found my voice as an artist.” she said.
But at age 21, with a boyfriend urging her to move to Ottawa, all Helen knew is that instinctively, going to Buglisi felt like the right move. She had not only studied with Buglisi at Juilliard, but with two of the other founders of the company – Terese Capucilli and Christine Dakin. All the founders had been dancers with one of the greatest names in modern dance – Martha Graham.
Hansen French, who attended Gibbs High and grew up in the Old Northeast section of St. Petersburg, is spending more time in Florida these days. Last March she married Jonathan French. She is an dance instrutor and choreographer at St. Petersburg College but she still tours with the Buglisi company and dances during their New York season.
Though recovering from an injury, Hansen expects to be on stage at the Palladium when the Buglisi Dance Theatre appears on Thursday, Jan. 27.
For details visit www.mypalladium.org or visit the Buglisi website at: http://www.buglisi-foreman.org/
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