Wil­liam For­sy­the

William Forsythe grew up in New York and began his training with Nolan Dingman and Christa Long in Florida. He has been active in the field of choreography for over 50 years. His work is acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form. Forsythe danced with the Joffrey Ballet and later the Stuttgart Ballet, where he was appointed Resident Choreographer in 1976. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of the Ballet Frankfurt after which he founded and directed The Forsythe Company until 2015 With an initial focus on the organizational underpinnings of academic ballet Forsythe has, since 1991, extended his choreographic discourse into the field of visual arts. While his work for the stage resides in the repertoire of ensembles worldwide, his installations are presented internationally in museums and exhibitions. Forsythe has been the recipient of numerous awards which include the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale and Der FAUST German Theatre Award, both for lifetime achievement.

Photo © Stephan Floss