Ballet forward: (re)thinking and (re)forming western classicism in dance, a new Duke University Dance Program initiative, presented the Elizabeth Corbett Residency – April 3-5. Titled "Forsythe Improvisation Technologies Workshop Series", Ms. Corbett led students in an introduction to the methods pioneered by choreographer William Forsythe.  

Forsythe Phrases and Improvisation Technologies -

William Forsythe's vision has opened new dialogues in dance. As artistic director of an extraordinary collection of dance artists, Forsythe, Ballet Frankfurt and The Forsythe Company have blazed a trail for contemporary dance for more than 20 years. One of his evolving projects was the codification of Laban-based (among other), real-time movement analysis systems called Improvisation Technologies. These concepts and methodologies are employed by the dancers not only to generate set phrases of movement but also as a tool for performed improvisation. Under the direction of longtime Forsythe dancer Elizabeth Corbett, you are invited to explore some of Forsythe's choreographed phrase work, ideas and concepts, toward accessing the inner logic and unfolding mechanisms in the work.

FULL SCHEDULE:

4/3/14 - 3:05-4:35 & 4/4/14 - 10:05-11:35, the Ark. Forsythe Improvisation Technologies Workshop,  Reservations are required.  
4/4/14 - 11:45-12:45 Bivins Room 109 – Roundtable discussion with Q&A. FREE
4/5/14 - 11:30-1:00 – Master class/workshop at the American Dance Festival (ADF) Studio, Durham. More info about this class

Elizabeth Corbett danced with the Joffrey Ballet and the Milwaukee Ballet before she moved to Europe. There, she became a soloist with William Forsythe's Frankfurt Ballet and danced for over a decade in works including Love Songs, Artifact, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Enemy in the Figure, Steptext, Behind the China Dogs and other Forsythe works. Ms. Corbett now teaches ballet, improvisation technologies, and Forsythe repertory internationally. She was Dance Coordinator for Anne Teresa DeKeersmaeker's school of contemporary dance, PARTS, in Brussels from 1999 - 2005 and danced in a work created for her by Ms. DeKeesmaeker in a Rosas/Impulstanz production called With/For/By. She has been choreographic assistant to William Forsythe, Ms. De Keersmaeker and for Robert Wilson in productions for the Paris Opera and Rosas. Ms. Corbett has taught classes and workshops for dance companies, festivals and schools around the world including PARTS/Rosas, Impulstanz Vienna, Cullberg Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, University of the Arts Philadelphia, Movement Research, Dance Platform Istanbul, Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts and Beijing Dance Academy where she received an honorary professorship. Elizabeth contributes Forsythe classes to outreach programs in Memphis and was recently awarded a Chairman's Award locally for her fund raising work providing meals at schools in Kenya. She has been an American Dance Festival faculty member since 2006.

This workshop series is offered in conjunction with Ballet Forward: (re)thinking and (re)forming western classicism in dance, a new Duke University Dance Program initiative, and was possible in part by generous gifts from the Marion Theresa Rucker Watkins Endowment Fund.