Hélène Lesterlin

During her tenure at EMPAC, Lesterlin shepherded and presented challenging work that blurred the lines among dance, theater, performance, and installation.

Highlights from her time at EMPAC include residencies and commissions by Ralph Lemon, Poor Dog Group, Phantom Limb, Nora Chipaumire, Wally Cardona, Kota Yamazaki, and BalletLab; theatrical and site-specific performances by kondition pluriel, Tere O’Connor Dance, Verdensteatret, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Yanira Castro, and Chunky Move; the launch of the Filament Festival in collaboration with the music and visual arts curators; and the creation of the DANCE MOViES commission, the only program of its kind in the US, which commissioned 20 works of film, video, and installation over five years.

Lesterlin’s curatorial vision balanced the support and championing of risk-taking artists as they manifested new works and a strong desire to connect EMPAC’s local audiences with contemporary dance and theater.