William Forsythe rehearsing dancers from Pacific Northwest Ballet
Part detailed glimpse into a brilliant choreographer’s brain, part useful research tool, synchronousobjects.osu.edu offers users the chance to break down William Forsythe’s structurally complex piece One Flat Thing, reproduced (2000). The site, a collaboration between Forsythe and Ohio State University, offers an unbelievable number of different ways to visualize Forsythe’s famously complicated dance, created for 14 dancers and 20 tables. Watch an annotated version with animated colored lines that arc from one dancer to the next that reveals how the dancers cue each other. Or zero in on one of the work’s 25 movement motifs as it’s framed in a colored block, while the rest of the dancers fade to black and white. Whether you’re seeking choreographic inspiration, having students try their hands at composition or just want to watch a master at work, the website is a gold mine of information.
Photo of Forsythe by Angela Sterling for Pointe magazine
