1st Edition

William Forsythe and the Practice of Choreography It Starts From Any Point

By Steven Spier Copyright 2011
    200 Pages
    by Routledge

    200 Pages
    by Routledge

    William Forsythe’s reinvigoration of classical ballet during his 20-year tenure at the Ballett Frankfurt saw him lauded as one of the greatest choreographers of the postwar era. His current work with The Forsythe Company has gone even further to challenge and investigate fundamental assumptions about choreography itself.

    William Forsythe and the Practice of Choreography presents a diverse range of critical writings on his work, with illuminating analysis of his practice from an interdisciplinary perspective. The book also contains insightful working testaments from Forsythe’s collaborators, as well as a contribution from the choreographer himself.

    With essays covering all aspects of Forsythe’s past and current work, readers are provided with an unparalleled view into the creative world of this visionary artist, as well as a comprehensive resource for students, scholars, and practitioners of ballet and contemporary dance today.

    Introduction  1. ‘Watching the Frankfurt Ballet, 1988-2004’, Roslyn Sulcas  2. ‘Of Monsters and Puppets: After the "Robert Scott Complex"’, Gerald Siegmund  3. ‘Splintered Encounters: The Critical Reception to William Forsythe in the United States, 1979-1989’, Mark Franko  4. ‘Njinsky’s Heir: A Classical Company Leads Modern Dance’, Senta Driver  5. ‘Timbral Architectures, Aurality’s Force: Sound and Music’, Chris Salter  6. ‘Dancing Music: The Intermodality of The Forsythe Company. An Auditory Turn‘, Freya Vass-Rhee  7. ‘Choreographic Objects’, William Forsythe  8. ‘Decreation: Fragmentation and Continuity’, Dana Caspersen  9. ‘Inside the Knot that Two Bodies Make’, Steven Spier  10. ‘Aberrations of Gravity’, Heidi Gilpin  11. ‘The Space of Memory: The Ballets’, Gerald Siegmund  12. ‘Choreographic Thinking and Amateur Bodies’, Steven Spier  List of Works Chronologically  List of Works Alphabetically

    Biography

    Steven Spier is Professor and Head of the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Ulster. Previously he was founding president and vice-chancellor of the HafenCity University Hamburg. He is an authority on the work of William Forsythe as well as on contemporary European, especially Swiss, architecture.