American choreographer Helen Pickett spent more than a decade dancing for iconoclastic choreographer William Forsythe, who pushed classical ballet into hyper-modern territory with sleek, speedy urban works that balance on a precipice. Like Forsythe, Pickett stretches the boundaries of ballet idioms by often engaging with works of literature, where her movement reveals elegant intimacy and emotional depth spiraling with a distinct feminine sensitivity. She shares with ICONS the interior processes of her creative space.

Read the Full Interview with HELEN PICKETT  

ICONS INSPIRE is a monthly digital portrait and a one-on-one interview with a groundbreaking choreographer. Get the insider point of view on an important dancemaker's creative process, background, and training to inspire, provoke and challenge your intellectual repertoire.

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• WHO INSPIRES YOU AND WHY?
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Your responses...

• Truly B. - I am inspired by my children and their ability to create without caring about how it is received. They create movement from the heart; their joy in dance is utterly contagious!
• Vlad A. - I think what inspires me mostly is not so much the PERSON, but the WORK. Sometimes, I see a wonderful piece by an unknown choreographer and I think it is great that the work carries a name and not the other way around.
• Sean H. - I found recent inspiration in the work of Cari Ann Shim Sham*, whose work expands ideas of what is possible in the world of performance. Using video and projection, she helps create worlds that are vivid and refreshingly unique.

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