This is a full circle moment. William Forsythe is regarded as one of the most important choreographers of the late 20th century – and rightly so. His innovative approach to the tradition of ballet has allowed dance to go down paths that would otherwise have been difficult to imagine. From 1984 to 2004, Forsythe directed the Ballett Frankfurt and from 2005 to 2015 The Forsythe Company, which was later renamed Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company. Ioannis Mandafounis, the current artistic director of the company, was a dancer with Forsythe for several years and is therefore clearly influenced by him.

Live choreography, the improvisation methodology with which the company works today, builds on many of the principles developed by Forsythe and takes the paradigm of improvisation one step further. Now, this radicalised movement practice meets the artistic signature from which it once emerged. What will be created within this special connection?

William Forsythe

William Forsythe has been active in the field of choreography for over 50 years. His work is acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form. Forsythe danced with the Joffrey Ballet and later the Stuttgart Ballet, where he was appointed Resident Choreographer in 1976. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of the Ballet Frankfurt after which he founded and directed The Forsythe Company until 2015. Forsythe's deep interest in the fundamental principles of organisation of choreography has led him to produce a wide range of projects including installations, films, and web-based knowledge creation. While his work for the stage resides in the repertoire of ensembles worldwide, his installations are presented internationally in exhibitions and museums. Forsythe has been the recipient of numerous awards, which include the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale and DER FAUST German Theatre Award, both for lifetime achievement.

Live-choreography, the methodology of Ioannis Mandafounis, allows for a choreography to be created on the spot. In “Lisa” this includes the dancers individually choosing when to enter and exit the stage. From this simple arrangement a lot of different situations can arise. The sudden appearing and disappearing creates surprising changes, a one-on-one encounter between two dancers might abruptly turn into a group scene. Someone is suddenly left alone and an emotional solo starts.

The piece combines these dramaturgical principles with poems by the lyricist Osip Mandelshtam from the Soviet Union and music by Gabriel Fauré. Historic costumes from the thirties provide a visual context to the texts which will be heard in the Russian original as well as in English and German translations. In this way shorter and longer narrative threads emerge, which the audience can choose to follow – or not.

Is this a crime scene? Or is it just business as usual? Is it better to be polite and say hello or to hide in the bushes as quickly as possible? Keeping both feet on the ground is of little use, if reality itself is shaking.