The Bavarian State Ballet presents one of the prime examples of the legendary choreographer William Forsythe


Munich, April 2010 - With the premiere of Artifact on April 25, the Bavarian State Ballet opens the festival weeks with William Forsythe's early master-piece that reflects upon structures and history of the dance. Now the company presents the work in its full length, after, many years ago, they pre-sented a central part of it.

This ballet, created by Forsythe in 1984, is his first evening-length work that he created for the Frankfort Ballet as their new director. In fact, the four-part work to music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Eva Crossmann-Hecht corresponds to the structure of a classical story ballet of the 19th century, its content, however, goes far beyond. It analyses the elements and functioning of ballet, playing with the audience's habits of viewing things, with reality and perception.

At its centre there are three characters: one "Person in historical costume", one "Person with a megaphone", and an enigmatic grey "Other person". Like dream figures they move through the space, traverse the symmetrical lines of movement and groups of the great ensemble, independent of any organisation.

The "Woman in historical costume" tells ever new stories, using the ever same vocabulary, the other two characters communicate with hand and arm movements - metaphors of Forsythe's idea of dance. He is concerned with relations-choreographic signs that are interrelated, human bodies in relation to one another: "In my pieces dance, just as language, is subject to certain signs and rules. These signs do not exist by themselves, but only in relation to one another, like in any system. Therefore in ballet I never speak of movement but of relations. These are new with me. The movements themselves remain the same in every ballet, they always were." (William Forsythe)

William Forsythe is one of the leading pioneers in contemporary dance. His work has had a significant part in breaking open the limits of the classical repertoire, in developing dance to a dynamic form of art of the twenty-first century. At present Forsythe works in a wide range of projects like installations, films and internet-based development of knowledge. At this year's Biennale in Venice he will be awarded the "Golden Lion" for his life achievement.

For press tickets and further information please contact the press office of the Bavarian State Ballet. Any photo material can be obtained directly via the website www.staatsballett.de or through the press office.