ABSTRACT
From a high school rock-‘n’-roller in Manhasset on Long Island, New York, William Forsythe propelled himself along an upward path leading to the directorship of the Frankfurt Ballet in Germany. His passion as a dancer was established early in his teens, his talent authenticated by winning high school dance contests. The gyrating, disjointed, energetic movements he performed in the 1960s have filtered into his own unconventional and convoluted ballet lexicon. Forsythe formally trained in ballet and performed with Joffrey Ballet II in New York City. During his brief time with the Joffrey, he had some opportunities as an understudy to perform with the senior company. The young dancer’s charismatic nature did not take long to surface: Robert Joffrey himself commented on how quickly Forsythe’s ideas flowed. In 1973, Forsythe won director John Cranko’s approval and performed with the famed Stuttgart Ballet: his first piece, Urlicht, was made for that company in 1976. Soon his early choreographic success with the Stuttgart and Basel Ballet companies brought him recognition as an important, upcoming creative artist.
