This is a full circle moment. William Forsythe is regarded as one of the most important choreographers of the late 20th century. His innovative approach to the tradition of ballet has opened up directions for dance that would otherwise be 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.

Forsythe is now returning to the place of this legacy of many years and is developing a new work with the company for the first time. Starting from a toolbox of improvisational construction, he creates a structural order which, instead of signifying something else, offers an aesthetic pleasure in itself. Like in a kaleidoscope, patterns emerge that are always unpredictable and surprising yet within a clear framework. The dancers explore the movement system that they themselves form to its limits. The audience is invited to follow this exploration and experience the work as a living, breathing system.

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, Der FAUST German Theatre Award and the Kyoto Price, all for lifetime achievement.

William

Choreography

Dancers of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company

Dance

Cyril

Choreographic assistance

Pauline

Rehearsal manager

Tanja

Light

Dorothee

Costumes

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Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto is considered a particular challenge for pianists. Beyond the technical virtuosity, which certainly contributes to its appeal, the music is characterised by an extraordinary emotional complexity. In his creation for the DFDC, Thomas Hauert brings the concerto to the stage in the 1982 recording with Martha Argerich. The ensemble immerses itself in the music and enters into a playful dialogue with it. The dancers interpret the music from their subjective perception with their bodies and engage with the rhythm, dynamics and emotional contrasts. At the same time, they interact with each other in a complex interplay.

Hauert brings with him principles and rules for improvisation that have been developed working with his own company ZOO, over more than 25 years, which rely less on control and more on the collective intelligence of everyone involved. This approach is juxtaposed with Rachmaninoff in an interesting way. While the latter is an exemplary figure of creation that sort of is above it all, and authoritatively dictates to the musicians, including the soloist, Hauert's practice is distinguished from such a superelevated concept of genius in favour of a radically collaborative creative process. The dance does not perceive the music as a command, but uses it as a stimulus, as a playground, as a counterpart in a constantly renewing and surprising dialogue.

Thomas Hauert founded his company ZOO in Brussels in 1998. ‘Cows in Space’ was his first piece, which was immediately honoured at the Rencontres de Seine-Saint-Denis/Bagnolet. Since then, the company has developed more than 21 pieces. In addition to his work for ZOO, Hauert has been a guest choreographer for the Zurich Ballet, Toronto Dance Theatre, Candoco Dance Company, Ballet Junior de Genève and the Ballet de Lorraine, among others.

Inspired by his choreographic work, Hauert developed an internationally recognised teaching method based on his movement research with ZOO. Since 2013, he has been the artistic director of the Bachelor's programme in contemporary dance at La Manufacture, the Lausanne School of Performing Arts.

Thomas

Philipp

Dramaturgy

Playing with Sergei, Martha and the others

Forsythe / Hauert

Schauspiel Frankfurt

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.

Ioannis

Concept

Gabriele

Piano

Stage and Lighting

Lisa

Mandafounis / Forsythe

Theater Freiburg

Two dancers acting strangely. They talk incessantly and incomprehensibly. Where does their story come from? They describe an imaginary world, first with language, then more and more with their bodies. They do lots of things at the same time while also continuously engaging with their surroundings. The language becomes a whisper, a cry, singing, rhythm, music. „Sch!“ is the opposite of silence. The play shows a world filled with constant noise. Different impressions and bits of information stream in from all directions. Which voice should you listen to, which movement should you follow? Those who surrender to the improvised flow of dance, music and voice may even find out more about themselves than about the story of the two oddballs.

„Sch!“ is danced by two dancers from Regionteater Väst, which is Sweden's largest touring performing arts institution for young audiences and one of the country's largest dance and theatre producers. The Regionteater Väst creates accessible and challenging performances aimed primarily at people between the ages of 6 and 16.

Lauren

Oliver Flor 

Yorgos

Johanna

Felix

Sound Design

Monika

SCH!

Bockenheimer Depot

One chair, one dancer – that’s the point of departure for “One One One”. Whoever takes a seat becomes the focus of the dance, since the performers improvise based on impulses given by the person in the chair. They continue dancing for as long as eye contact is maintained by both sides. The result is a silent dialogue, an exclusive encounter and an opportunity to see dance through new eyes.

“One One One” is a unique interaction, one that also offers those viewing the scene an experience rich in emotional and choreographic nuances and developments. Initially created in 2015, “One One One” can be staged anywhere and has been performed in streets and squares, in hospitals, schools and shopping centers around the world.

Schedule

SCH!

SCH!

Sch!

SCH!

One One One

One One One

Forsythe / Hauert

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Playing with Sergei, Martha and the others

Forsythe / Hauert

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Playing with Sergei, Martha and the others

Mandafounis / Forsythe

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Lisa

Mandafounis / Forsythe

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Lisa

Mandafounis / Forsythe

Lisa

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