William Forsythe

William Forsythe, born in 1949, is considered one of the most important and innovative representatives of ballet modernism. His broad artistic output ranges from choreographies, performances and installations to films, visual art, architecture, research and interactive multimedia works. Raised in New York, where he completed most of his training, he danced first with the Joffrey Ballet and later with the Stuttgart Ballet, whose house choreographer he became in 1976. At the same time, he created works for various ballet companies around the world. From 1984 he was director of the Ballett Frankfurt, with whom he created some of the most outstanding choreographies of contemporary dance. After the dissolution of Ballett Frankfurt in 2004, he founded The Forsythe Company (2005-2015). In collaboration with media specialists and educators, he also developed new approaches to dance documentation, research and teaching. His choreographies have won major awards including Bessie (1988, 1998, 2004), Laurence Olivier Award (1992, 1999), Wexner Prize (2002), German Dance Prize (2004), Golden Lion (2010) and FAUST Theatre Prize (2020) for lifetime achievement and National Dance Award (UK, 2020) among others. He was also awarded the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1999) and the Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse (1997). Voted Choreographer of the Year several times by the International Critics' Poll in Ballet Dance magazine, he was also awarded honorary membership of the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London in 2001 and has been an honorary doctor of the Juilliard School New York since 2004. William Forsythe's works occupy a central place in the repertoire of major ballet companies worldwide.