Helen Jhung
Toronto Artistic Director

Helen is the former Artistic Director and the heart and soul of Culture Shock Toronto (CSTO). Her strong leadership, dedication, and organization, combined with her warmth and geniality, made CSTO the strongest it had been in years. She continues to be a leader within CSTO as Dance Captain and works closely with CSTO’s current Artistic Director, Kat.

Helen has been dancing for years. It was at Queen's University where she first took hip hop classes and began teaching hip hop. She was also part of the Queen's Dance Club for three years before graduating in 2003. After leaving Queen’s, she didn’t think that dance would be a predominant aspect of her life anymore. However, her friend, Kat, took a few of Culture Shock’s hip hop classes in Ottawa and quickly auditioned and made it into Culture Shock Ottawa. Kat immediately told Helen that there was a Culture Shock Toronto. Helen auditioned for CSTO that weekend and has been part of the Culture Shock family ever since.

Culture Shock has been a source of strength for Helen, and a pivotal part of her life. Her directorial role has taught her about leadership, personal goal-setting, and perseverance; the members of Culture Shock have taught her about commitment, sincerity, and the importance of laughter. She has found her closest friends through Culture Shock and uses dance in her career as a teacher. Helen will continue to challenge herself to learn different styles of hip hop and create dynamic (and increasingly intricate!) choreography. She also hopes to start a Future Shock Toronto one day with the other dancers and educators in CSTO.