I don't believe in outer space
Part of the 2011 Next Wave Festival
Oct 26—29, 2011 at 7:30pm
NY Premiere
The Forsythe Company
A work by William Forsythe
"Forsythe's company are scarily accomplished, and the work feels like a giant scanner picking up fragments of human interaction." —The Guardian (UK)
One of the most influential artists of our age, choreographer William Forsythe returns to BAM with I don’t believe in outer space, a darkly comic exploration of absence made present. Tragic themes from the lyrics of pop songs pervade the evening, placed into changing, outlandish contexts as one choreographic element among many. All the while, 18 phenomenal dancers and performers—outstanding both as soloists and as an ensemble—mingle in freakish scenes, balancing as virtuosic bodies on the edge of an abyss. This is the beyond, the boundlessness of the universe, but only if you believe in it.
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Run time: 1hr 15min
Season tickets start at $14
Full price tickets start at $20
Staging by William Forsythe
Music by Thom Willems
Sound design by Niels Lanz
Graphics by Dietrich Krüger
Costume design by Dorothee Merg
Lighting design by Tanja Rühl and Ulf Naumann
Dramaturgical Assistant Freya Vass-Rhee
The Forsythe Company is supported by the city of Dresden and the state of Saxony as well as the city of Frankfurt am Main and the state of Hesse. The Forsythe Company is
Company-in-Residence of both HELLERAU-European Center for the Arts in Dresden and the Bockenheimer Depot in Frankfurt am Main. With special thanks to Ms. Susanne Klatten for supporting The Forsythe Company.
Official Website: The Forsythe Company
The website of William Forsythe’s intrepid company.
Article: “I don’t believe in outer space” (The Guardian)
Says Forsythe: “It's the theatre of disappearance. An absurd memoir. A look at my life without me."
Article: “Step-by-step guide to dance: William Forsythe” (The Guardian)
The Guardian offers a snappy introduction to the precise postmodernism of Forsythe.
Video: Interview with William Forsythe and Elizabeth LeCompte (Vimeo)
Forsythe discusses acting vs. choreography, booing audiences, and I don’t believe in outer space with the Wooster Group director.
Audio: Interview with William Forsythe (BBC3)
Forsythe discusses the physics of Balanchine, clarifies the difference between deconstruction and destruction, and much more.
Video: “One Flat Thing Reproduced,” by William Forsythe (Vimeo)
Forsythe redefines tabletop dancing in this work, scored by I don’t believe… composer Thom Willems.
I don’t believe in outer space on Flickr
Browse through images from the production.