Daily Deacon

Helen Simoneau Choreographic Residency at Salem College // Merritt Enright

Choreographer Helen Simoneau may be from Quebec, but judging by the enthusiastic audience at the Salem College dance facility on Saturday morning, she’s no stranger to North Carolina. The 2010 “A.W.A.R.D. Show!” (a dance competition hosted in New York) winner is an alumna of North Carolina School of the Arts, and her company, Helen Simoneau Danse, is based in Winston-Salem and NYC. After graduating from UNCSA, the now 35 year-old performed in Greece, Japan, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and South Korea before returning to the US for choreographic residencies in New York and North Carolina.

So when Simoneau hosted an informal choreography showcase on February 6th in Winston Salem, the event seemed like a reunion. Local fans, students, and colleagues gathered in Salem College’s Bryant Hall studio to witness Simoneau’s “Paper Wings,” set on eight Salem College student dancers, and a preview of her upcoming premier, “Land Bridge,” performed by seven of Simoneau’s professional dancers.

The showcase marked the end of Simoneau’s week-long Salem College residency from February 1st through 6th, at the invitation of Dance Deptartment director Heidi Echols. Echols, who knew Simoneau as a student at UNCSA, noted that Simoneau’s thoughtful dance style and powerful social undertones made the petite burnet a fitting addition to Salem’s faculty and agenda.

“Helen appeals to our department because she approaches dance in a very body intelligent way,” said Echols. “She’s also very interested in gender, which is something we are really focused on here at Salem.”

While Simoneau’s choreography is recognized for its gender neutrality, “Paper Wings” is distinctly feminine. The piece opens with the dancers swinging their hips in unison, boldly looking at the audience. Originally set for a cast of 19, the piece has been modified for the group of eight Salem College undergrad dancers. They sway and merge as a pack, reflecting Simoneau’s adept talent of creating wave-like ensembles. The original score by Andy Hasenpflug and John C.B. Wilson is hypnotic: tribal drums that syncopate with the piece’s “girl power” sentimentalism. When one dancer, senior Calleah Simmons, suddenly breaks from the pack and performs a solo, the others freeze and watch her contemplatively.

“It was important to me, when I created this piece, that there was a sense of sisterhood,” said Simoneau. “Life, in dance especially, can get competitive. I wanted to create a space free of that. When the Calleah does her solo, the other women watch her in curiosity, not envy.”

The feminist message is equally important on a personal level to Salem junior Katherine Williams, who is among the eight “Paper Wings” dancers. Williams also participated in Twyla Tharp’s residency at Salem in 2014, but says she prefers Simoneau’s more intimate and direct rehearsal style.

“‘Paper Wings’ is incredible to dance because it’s about celebrating the differences amongst women, instead of comparing them,” said Williams. “With Twyla, we did not move very much or interact with her significantly. Helen is more hands on; she knows what she wants and she’ll make sure you know her vision.”

“Paper Wings” will be performed on May 7th in Salem College’s Drama Workshop and “Land Bridge” will premier on May 3rd at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston Salem, NC.