Dance takes many forms and can fulfil multiple functions. Over his career, the choreographer William Forsythe has explored most of them. When he started out, he was hailed as the successor to Balanchine, a creator of work full of off-kilter balances, striking juxtapositions and unexpected twists and turns, but clearly rooted in the classical tradition.
Yet he has also always been fascinated by what dance can communicate, and has taken challenging journeys into more experimental territory, mingling words and micro-movements to create his effects. A lot of his early admirers disliked the exploring; I found it difficult but still more stimulating than anything around it.
