Helen Hansen French, a native of St. Petersburg, began dancing at Judith Lee Johnson’s Studio of Dance, and at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts. After attending the HARID Conservatory, she was accepted into the Juilliard School under the Early Admissions Option and received her BFA in 2001. Upon graduation she was invited to join Buglisi Dance Theatre where she is currently a principal dancer as well as rehearsal assistant. In addition to BDT’s annual New York City seasons she has performed at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Chautauqua Dance Festival, Vail International Dance Festival, Rishon LeZion International Festival in Israel, and the Oriente Occidente Festival in Rovereto, Italy. Mrs. Hansen French has also been instrumental in restaging BDT’s works at Marymount Manhattan College, The Alvin/Ailey Fordham B.F.A. program, George Mason University, and the University of California at Long Beach.

Helen appears in Lois Greenfield’s 2005 and 2012 Breaking Bounds calendar and was featured in the New York Times Arts and Leisure section and Dance Teacher Magazine with BDT.

In addition to her work with BDT Helen has performed with the Nilas Martins’ Dance Company, been in residency at White Oak Dance working with choreographer Adam Hougland, and performed in the Guggenheim’s Works/Process program with choreographer’s Brian Reeder and Pam Tanowitz. 

In February 2010 she presented a solo show at Studio@620 that featured the re-created works of Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey and Jacqulyn Buglisi. Most recently Mrs. Hansen French, in collaboration with Erik Wagner and Erin Fletcher presented, "Look Tonight' an evening length dance/theater work at Studio@620Mrs. Hansen French has been a member of the dance faculty at the Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC and The Juilliard School. Currently she is on the faculty of St. Petersburg College. Helen is also a nationally certified Alexander Technique teacher and maintains a private teaching practice in NYC and St. Petersburg.