Immure
Choreographer: Helen French with special thanks to Kellie Harmon, who helped this work find its first voice in 2018.
Performer: Helen French
Music: Hildegard von Bingen performed by Maya Beiser
Hildegard von Bingen was the tenth child of a noble family — tithed to the Church before she could speak. She was sent to a hilltop monastery at age eight and spent nearly 40 years there before founding her own abbey. Inside those walls she became a healer, a theologian, a composer, and a visionary. She was canonized in 2012.
Immure begins with the paradox of a life made vast within confinement — and becomes something more personal. A lament. A prayer. A body searching for language when words aren't enough.
Helen French
Helen Hansen French, a distinguished dancer, choreographer, and arts advocate, is a St. Petersburg native whose career has spanned the national and international stage. She earned her BFA from The Juilliard School and her MFA from Hollins University. In 2001, she joined the renowned Buglisi Dance Theatre in New York City, rising to principal dancer and rehearsal director. Hailed as "altogether luminous" (NYC Village Voice) and "generous and radiant" (ArtsHouston), she has toured globally and played a pivotal role in staging BDT's works at esteemed institutions such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pieve International School in Italy, and North Carolina Dance Theater. Her diverse performance career includes collaborations with Karen Reedy Dance, a residency at White Oak Dance with Adam Hougland, and engagements at the Guggenheim's prestigious Works/Process series.
As a choreographer, Helen is passionate about collaboration, exploring the intersection of dance and other artistic disciplines. Her work has been featured in theaters, museums, galleries, and unconventional performance spaces. A multi-year recipient of Individual Artist Grants from the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and Creative Pinellas, she was honored as the 2021 Artist Laureate for Creative Pinellas. She co-produces BEACON, a celebrated performance series at the Palladium Theater, where she serves as an artist in residence and was a 2021 and 2022 Palladium Creative Fellow.
Helen is also a dedicated educator, having served on the faculties of The Juilliard School and George Mason University. She has taught at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School and Creative Clay, an organization that empowers individuals with disabilities through the arts.
Beyond her artistic work, Helen is a passionate advocate for the arts. She served on the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance board, including a term as chair, and worked with the Palladium Theater as a development associate, helping drive its Capital Campaign and programming efforts. She now serves as Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. Through her dedication to artistry, education, and community, Helen strives to contribute to and uplift the cultural landscape in her community.
