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| The Forsythe Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Forsythe Company |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | William Forsythe |
| Location | Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Genre | Contemporary ballet, choreography |
The Forsythe Company The Forsythe Company is a contemporary dance ensemble founded in 2005 by choreographer William Forsythe following his tenure at Paris Opéra Ballet and Ballett Frankfurt. The company operated from Frankfurt am Main and developed a global reputation through innovative choreographic methods that intersected with institutions such as The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet. Its work engaged collaborations with entities including Schauspiel Frankfurt, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Staatsoper Stuttgart, and festivals such as Holland Festival, Festival d'Avignon, and Lincoln Center Festival.
Founded after the closure of Ballett Frankfurt in 2004, the company emerged when William Forsythe secured support from patrons like Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and cultural bodies including Kulturstiftung des Bundes. Early seasons saw premieres at venues such as Oper Frankfurt, Almeida Theatre, and Sadler's Wells Theatre, while tours reached stages like Teatro alla Scala, L'Opéra de Lyon, and Theatre du Châtelet. Administrative structures involved managers with backgrounds at Deutsche Bank arts sponsorships and collaborations with producers linked to Scottish Ballet and Ballet BC. The company's timeline includes key shifts when Forsythe transitioned from directing ensemble repertory to studio-based research projects aligned with laboratories at ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe) and residencies at University of Oxford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Forsythe's aesthetic builds on legacies from Serge Diaghilev-era innovation through intersections with postmodern currents associated with Merce Cunningham and Pina Bausch, while retaining technical foundations traceable to Enrico Cecchetti and George Balanchine. The company foregrounded improvisational frameworks influenced by theories from Murray Schafer and Noam Chomsky in linguistic modeling, applied to spatial syntax reminiscent of Iannis Xenakis and John Cage concepts of chance. Dancers employed hyper-extended ballet vocabularies amplified by task-based scores akin to methods from Trisha Brown and Yvonne Rainer, producing works that dialogued with visual art practices connected to Anish Kapoor and Gerhard Richter exhibitions. The approach emphasized architecture-informed staging referencing Frank Gehry and scenography principles seen in productions at Royal Opera House and Volksbühne Berlin.
Signature works include remounts and new pieces originating from Forsythe's earlier canon and company commissions, often performed alongside repertory from choreographers such as William Forsythe's own reconstructions and new-form pieces comparable to those by Alban Berg-inspired contemporaries. Milestone productions toured internationally: repertory evenings featuring excerpts alongside full-length works premiered at Birmingham Royal Ballet guest seasons, gala appearances at Vienna State Opera, and site-specific projects at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The company mounted program cycles that juxtaposed narrative disruption with abstract studies, frequently grouping pieces in festivals like Bregenzer Festspiele, Spoleto Festival USA, and Salzburg Festival.
While William Forsythe served as artistic director and primary choreographer, the company also showcased works by invited creators from networks including Jiri Kylian, Wayne McGregor, Christian Spuck, Jessica Lang, and Cathy Marston. Principal dancers moved between institutions such as American Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet; notable soloists performed in exchanges with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Nederlands Dans Theater. Rehearsal staff incorporated pedagogy influenced by mentors like Monique Loudières and technicians formerly at Staatsballett Berlin, fostering a roster that blended graduates of Juilliard School, Vaganova Academy, and Codarts Rotterdam.
The company pursued interdisciplinary partnerships with composers and designers: musical collaborations included commissions from Thomas Adès, Steve Reich, and Max Richter, while set and costume designers hailed from studios associated with Robert Wilson, Isabella Rossellini-led film projects, and ateliers servicing Costume National. Technological collaborations involved institutions such as ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe), MIT Media Lab, and sound design teams with links to BBC Radio 3 and Deutsche Grammophon producers. Commissions were co-funded by cultural entities like European Commission programs, Goethe-Institut, and municipal arts councils in Frankfurt am Main, London, and New York City.
The company's touring history encompassed seasons in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia with engagements at Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House, Barbican Centre, and Kennedy Center. Residencies were hosted by institutions including Paris Opera Ballet School, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, and research partnerships at Harvard University and Royal Holloway, University of London. Festival residencies included long-term projects at ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival and workshop series at Cité Internationale des Arts.
The ensemble and William Forsythe earned acknowledgments such as prizes akin to Benois de la Danse, honors comparable to Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and institutional awards paralleling European Cultural Foundation grants. The company's dancers and productions received prizes at events like Critics' Circle National Dance Awards, festival juries at Festival d'Avignon, and commendations from councils similar to Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft. Its legacy is cited in scholarship appearing alongside studies of Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, and George Balanchine.
Category:Contemporary dance companies