Semperoper Ballett: All Forsythe review – a triple blast from the master — theguardian.com

It is not uncommon to see a William Forysthe piece on a ballet programme but it’s rare to get a trio. Hats off, then, to Aaron Watkin, director of Semperoper Ballett in Dresden and a former Forsythe dancer, for offering this fascinating opportunity to see three different faces of Forsythe in one go. In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated is one of his best-known works. With its sparse, industrial feel, the way it flips between nonchalance and virtuosity, and its thwacking synthetic soundscape, the piece has an immediate impact. But it also holds up to repeated viewing, and despite its uncluttered appearance, there is always a lot going on. Take the opening: a gaggle of dancers in informal poses get pulled one by one into sharp sequences of darting jumps and rapid swerves that multiply and fracture until the stage feels filled by a cut-glass choreographic kaleidoscope.

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