Choreographer
At the helm of Cas Public for over thirty years, Hélène Blackburn is a major figure in Quebec contemporary dance. Her repertoire, presented internationally, has been performed at venues including the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, and Lincoln Center in New York. Her work, recognized with several awards, including the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal (2016) and the Prix Hommage RIDEAU (2019), is distinguished by a sensitive choreographic style, drawing on grand narratives and combining virtuosity, precision, and evocative power.
Hélène Blackburn’s artistic approach is rooted in a reinterpretation of the great narratives, tales, and myths of Western culture, nourished by literature and great musical works. Her choreographic writing, at the crossroads of classical and contemporary techniques, explores their roots in order to better reinvent them. She creates a tension between virtuosity and humanity, the individual and the collective. The body becomes a vehicle for meaning, in a precise and committed physicality, serving a direct and sensitive relationship with the spectator.