Helen Simoneau Danse to Premiere CARIBOU in Winston-Salem This Spring

Award-winning choreographer Helen Simoneau announces the 2015-2016 season of Helen Simoneau Danse. In the company's 6th annual weeklong engagement, they will perform the world premiere of CARIBOU, March 3-5 at Hanesbrands Theatre, Winston-Salem, NC. A preview of the new work will be presented at the Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn on November 17.

Further NYC engagements include Simoneau's Strange Garden (working title) for The Juilliard School December 11-15 and a new collaboration for Periapsis Music and Dance, February 18 and 19. Helen Simoneau Danse will be co-presenting with Charlotte Ballet and performing at Charlotte Dance Festival in March and return to Spring to Dance in St. Louis in May.

CARIBOU, Helen Simoneau's first full-length work, will investigate heritage, assimilation and identity to reveal how the willing erasure of the self may serve as a means of renewal and redirection. Examined abstractly through the lens of caribou, the iconic and threatened species from Simoneau's native Canada, this most powerful member of the deer family serves as a trail guide for the work featuring six performers.

"CARIBOU is my first full-length piece and it's been a wonderful challenge and process for me and the dancers," said Helen Simoneau. "This season is also a great representation of our company's strong connection to both North Carolina and NYC."

Other HS Danse repertory to be performed throughout the season includes Moonlight Parade (for Two) at the Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, and Simoneau will perform a solo excerpt of CARIBOU at the Charlotte Dance Festival. Simoneau will also create a new work to be featured as part of Periapsis Music and Dance's The Portrait Project set. Simoneau will be participating in The Pluck Project, a school-sponsored and independently produced project by the graduating contemporary dance class. The students will each perform a self-choreographed solo and Helen Simoneau's Moonlight Parade.

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HELEN SIMONEAU DANSE - 2015-2016 SEASON CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS:

November 15 - Guggenheim Works & Process, New York, NY, 7p.m.

Juilliard dancers perform Simoneau's choreography, evening moderated by Juilliard

Dance Division Artistic Director, Lawrence Rhodes

November 17 - Center for Performance Research, Brooklyn, NY, 8p.m.

Performing preview of world premiere work, CARIBOU

December 11-15 - The Juilliard School: New Dances: Edition 2015, New York, NY, 7:30 p.m. (Dec. 11, 12, 14, 15) and 3 p.m. (Dec. 13)

Juilliard dancers perform commissioned work, Strange Garden (working title)

February 18 & 19 - Periapsis Music and Dance, Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY Simoneau commissioned for The Portrait Project

March 3-5 - Company Season at Hanesbrands Theatre, Winston-Salem, NC, 7:30p.m.

World Premiere of CARIBOU

March 4 - Pluck Project Performance, Demille Theater at UNC School of the Arts, Winston- Salem, NC, 7:30p.m.

Performing Moonlight Parade

March 6 - Co-presenting with Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte, NC

Performing new work, CARIBOU, premiered at Hanesbrands Theatre

March 7- Pluck Project Performance, Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York, NY, 7:00p.m.

Performing Moonlight Parade

March 19 - Charlotte Dance Festival, Charlotte, NC

Performing solo excerpt of CARIBOU

May 28 - Spring to Dance, St. Louis, MO

Performing Moonlight Parade (for Two)

SEASON REPERTORY DETAILS:

CARIBOU (World Premiere)
Choreography: Helen Simoneau in collaboration with the dancers
Composer: Nathalie Joachim
Lighting: Carrie Wood
Costumes: Reid Bartelme
Dramaturg: Steven Cook

Simoneau's new evening-length world premiere will investigate heritage, assimilation and identity to reveal how the willing erasure of the self may serve as a means of renewal and redirection. Examined abstractly through the lens of caribou, the iconic and threatened species from Simoneau's native Canada, this most powerful member of the deer family serves as a trail guide for the work featuring six performers.

Moonlight Parade (for Two) (2014)
Choreography: Helen Simoneau in collaboration with Dancers
Composer: Michael Wall and Andy Hasenpflug
Length: 12 minutes

Created from a larger work to a more intimate setting, a single spotlight in the middle of the stage becomes a 'moonlight' path for two. The dancers exude strength and confidence through companionability in this smaller duet.

Strange Garden (working title) (2015)
Choreography: Helen Simoneau
Choreographic Assistant: Burr Johnson
Music: Jerome Begin
Lighting Designer: Nicole Pearce
Length: 12 minutes

Juilliard commission, Strange Garden (working title) is driven by an original music composition by Juilliard faculty member Jerome Begin, which will be performed live by 6 Juilliard musicians and Begin. Simoneau is creating for the entire freshman class of 24 dancers.

Moonlight Parade (2014)
Choreography: Helen Simoneau
Music: Andy Hasenpflug and Mike Wall

Original version of Moonlight Parade (for Two) and is performed by fourteen dancers.

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A native of Québec, Canada, HELEN SIMONEAU, has been commissioned by The Juilliard School, the American Dance Festival, the Bessie Scho?nberg Residency at The Yard, Springboard Danse Montre?al, and the Swiss International Coaching Project (SiWiC) in Zurich. She was a resident artist at Baryshnikov Arts Center, Bates Dance Festival and has received fellowships from Bogliasco Foundation and North Carolina Arts Council. Simoneau took first place for choreography at the Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theatre Festival in Stuttgart, Germany in 2009. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at notable venues such as Dance Place (DC), Joyce SoHo (NYC), Tangente (Montre?al), The Aoyama Round Theatre (Tokyo), the L.I.G. Art Hall Busan (South Korea), Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out Stage (MA), and Athens International Dance Festival (Greece).

Helen Simoneau Danse, a North Carolina based dance company with strong New York City ties and acclaimed international presence has been described as vibrant, intricate, rich in connection and constantly curious. The company premieres original works by founder Helen Simoneau in collaboration with the dancers. In addition to an annual company season in Winston-Salem, NC, the company has been presented in Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and has toured throughout Germany, Asia, and the United States.

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