Who is William Forsythe?

1. Revolutionary: Forsythe is credited with revolutionizing ballet, and has been hailed as “the most influential practitioner of the art form since Balanchine” (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times).

2. International Choreographer:  Forsythe’s work has been performed by virtually every major ballet company in the world. Boston Ballet already has several audience favorites in our repertoire, including The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, The Second Detail, Pas/Parts 2018, and his latest work Playlist (EP), which Forsythe created on the company in 2019. Our partnership with Forsythe will add at least one of his works to our repertoire each year, resulting in the richest collection of his ballets in the United States.

3. Visionary: “Forsythe’s basic idea is that ballet is like a language. It has vocabulary and rules of correct usage. But correct usage is not his focus—he’s much more interested in bending and breaking the rules. So watch out for how the geometries of classical ballet are twisted, tilted or pulled out of line” (Sanjoy Roy, THE GUARDIAN).

4. Director: Forsythe served as Artistic Director of Ballet Frankfurt from 1984 to 2004, and created Artifact during his first year with the company. After the closure of Ballet Frankfurt, he founded The Forsythe Company, which he directed from 2005 to 2015.

5. Installation Artist: His interest in the fundamental principles of organization has led Forsythe to produce numerous interactive art installations, which he calls “Choreographic Objects.” His work has been exhibited at museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), the Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston), Tate Modern (London), Louvre Museum (Paris), Design Biennale (Istanbul), and more.