William Forsythe - Focus on Forsythe -
Biography
William Forsythe is considered by many to be one of the most outstanding representatives of contemporary dance in the world. His works have redefined classical ballet, transforming it into a dynamic 21st Century form of artistic expression. From performance and visual arts to architecture and multimedia projects, Forsythe's choreographic thinking has constantly developed in response to contemporary innovations, while simultaneously contributing to these areas on an international scale.
Born in New York City in 1949, Forsythe studied dance at Jacksonville University, Florida and later at the Joffrey Ballet School. In 1973 he joined Germany's Stuttgarte Ballet as a dancer and later began choreographing works for the company. It was there that he made his first piece, Urlicht, a duet to the music of Gustav Mahler. Over the following years Forsythe made numerous ballets for the Stuttgart Ballet and other leading companies, including Basel Ballet, Munich Ballet, Deutsche Opera Ballet in Berlin, Joffrey Ballet and Netherlands Dance Theatre.
In 1984 Forsythe became Artistic Director of Ballett Frankfurt, a year after creating his full-length work for the company, Gaenge. With his new company, he set out to create works that were removed from conventional ballet and to build a new audience.
Forsythe continues to stage pieces for companies around the globe, and his work is in the repertoire of New York City Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet, among others. In 1999 Ballett Frankfurt performed at the Bockenheimer Depot in Frankfurt, a performance space housed in a converted tramway depot, where Forsythe created site-specific work such as Endless House. In 2004 William Forsythe set up The Forsythe Company. Based in Dresden and Frankfurt am Main the company tours extensively throughout the year.
