ABSTRACT
Sulcas watched the work of William Forsythe during ten years in Paris, and has observed all the repertory created after 1988 and a substantial portion of the earlier works, along with seeing the company in creative rehearsal and travelling with them to Japan. She notes his unusual consistency over the years, that as a choreographer he seems to have been born full-grown. She identifies a number of elements key to the choreography: Forsythe’s respect for ballet technique and history, his inclusivity, his personal kinetic imagination, theatrical skill, mastery of form, use of lighting design, repetition, and emotional content presented in a kind of multiple narrative. Works discussed include The Loss of Small Detail, Artifact, Slingerland, Quintett, and Limb’s Theorem. She argues for Forsythe a dual intention: the capacity to make work of great beauty and a resistance to settling only for that.
