William Forsythe: From a Classical Position

In a video installation distilled from a live performance that Forsythe choreographed and directed in 2016, dancers Rauf "Rubberlegz" Yasit and Riley Watts clasp and unclasp each other in complex configurations that make it difficult for the viewer to determine where one body ends and the other begins. This slow-motion physical and optical puzzle, which Forsythe calls an "entanglement", is a choreographic event from which the common elements typically associated with choreography—the structural development of time and space and the visual isolation of parts—have been subtracted. The complex "threading" of the dancers' bodies into their own negative spaces creates visual conundrums that defy the apparent logic of the situation. The title is a play on words that, like the human situation it describes, threads two languages together: the English word "align", which sounds like the German word "allein" (alone), is fused with the German word "Einigung" (agreement).

In this experimental film conceived by Sylvie Guillem, the choreographers become dancers or photographers: William Forsythe dances a superb solo and Mats Ek films his brother and Sylvie Guillem in Smoke, an oniric and sensual duet.

To produce this intimate portrait, choreographer William Forsythe suggested director Mike Figgis (Director of the Oscar-winning Leaving Las Vegas) should join the Frankfurt Ballet company for six weeks, where Forsythe had been Artistic Director since 1984. A rare choreographic talent whose work is both intellectually and physically challenging, Forsythe makes a clear and articulate case for his method of deconstructing classical ballet. Figgis takes the role of fascinated outsider, pursuing his volatile subject with a dogged enthusiasm. The documentary focuses on the build-up to the first performance of Forsythe's The Loss of Small Detail, and the soundtrack features the avant-garde music of Thomas Willems and Handel's Concerti Grossi.