Carolyn Carlson
Encyclopedia
Carolyn Carlson is an American contemporary dance
choreographer
and performer. She is of Finnish descent.
She is the director of the 'Centre Chorégraphique National' in Roubaix and of the 'Atelier de Paris' at 'La Cartoucherie de Vincennes' in Paris
.
She was awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic.
In 1968 she won the International Dance Festival in Paris as Best Dancer (Meilleur Danseur).
In 1971 she joined the Anne Béranger dance company and in 1972 she presented Rituel pour un rêve mort at the Avignon Festival. Successively she was invited to join the London School of Contemporary Dance
as an instructor, performer and choreographer.
In 1974 she met Rolf Liebermann
and was invited to join the Opéra de Paris as a choreographer.
In 1975 she directed the Groupe de Recherches Théâtrales (GRTOP). Creations of this period include Density 21,5 ; The Architects ; This, that and the other; Slow, heavy and blue. Beginning 1974 she taught her improvisation and composition techniques in masterclasses held at the rotonde of the Opéra.
In 1980 she was at the 'Teatro la Fenice' in Venice
. Works of this period include Undici Onde; Underwood; Blue Lady.
In 1985 she was back in Paris where she performed at the 'Théâtre de la Ville' presenting Dark ; Still Waters and other works.
In 1991–1992 she was in Finland
(Elokuu ; Syyskuu ; Maa). She also directed the Cullberg Ballet of Stockholm for two years (Sub Rosa).
She presented several solo choreographies such as Blue Lady (1984), Vu d’ici (1995). Other works include choreographies for dancers such as Nina Hyvärinen, Talia Paz, Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Tero Saarinen.
She was the director of the Dance sector of the Venice Biennale (Biennale Danza - Venice, Italy) from 1999 to 2002. Works there include Parabola (1999), Light Bringers (2000), J. Beuys Song (2001), Writings on water (2002). In Venice she opened the contemporary dance academy Accademia Isola Danza and created a festival.
She has performed in improvisations with artists such as Larrio Ekson, Jorma Uotinen, Malou Airaudo, and with musicians such as Michel Portal, John Surman, René Aubry, Joachim Kuhn, Trilok Gurtu.
She creates repertory pieces for Opéra de Paris (Signes), Opéra de Bordeaux (Hydrogen Jukebox).
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
and performer. She is of Finnish descent.
She is the director of the 'Centre Chorégraphique National' in Roubaix and of the 'Atelier de Paris' at 'La Cartoucherie de Vincennes' in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
She was awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic.
Career
She initially studied dance at the San Francisco School of Ballet and at Utah University. In 1965 she joined the Alwin Nikolaïs dance company in New York becoming an outstanding dancer of the company.In 1968 she won the International Dance Festival in Paris as Best Dancer (Meilleur Danseur).
In 1971 she joined the Anne Béranger dance company and in 1972 she presented Rituel pour un rêve mort at the Avignon Festival. Successively she was invited to join the London School of Contemporary Dance
London School of Contemporary Dance
London Contemporary Dance School is a contemporary dance school located in London, United Kingdom. LCDS was founded by Robin Howard in 1966 in order to train new dancers for his company, London Contemporary Dance Theatre....
as an instructor, performer and choreographer.
In 1974 she met Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann , was a Swiss composer and music administrator born in Zurich, and associated with several different musical genres. His output included chansons, classical, and light music. His classical music often combines myriad styles and techniques, including those drawn from baroque,...
and was invited to join the Opéra de Paris as a choreographer.
In 1975 she directed the Groupe de Recherches Théâtrales (GRTOP). Creations of this period include Density 21,5 ; The Architects ; This, that and the other; Slow, heavy and blue. Beginning 1974 she taught her improvisation and composition techniques in masterclasses held at the rotonde of the Opéra.
In 1980 she was at the 'Teatro la Fenice' in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Works of this period include Undici Onde; Underwood; Blue Lady.
In 1985 she was back in Paris where she performed at the 'Théâtre de la Ville' presenting Dark ; Still Waters and other works.
In 1991–1992 she was in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(Elokuu ; Syyskuu ; Maa). She also directed the Cullberg Ballet of Stockholm for two years (Sub Rosa).
She presented several solo choreographies such as Blue Lady (1984), Vu d’ici (1995). Other works include choreographies for dancers such as Nina Hyvärinen, Talia Paz, Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Tero Saarinen.
She was the director of the Dance sector of the Venice Biennale (Biennale Danza - Venice, Italy) from 1999 to 2002. Works there include Parabola (1999), Light Bringers (2000), J. Beuys Song (2001), Writings on water (2002). In Venice she opened the contemporary dance academy Accademia Isola Danza and created a festival.
She has performed in improvisations with artists such as Larrio Ekson, Jorma Uotinen, Malou Airaudo, and with musicians such as Michel Portal, John Surman, René Aubry, Joachim Kuhn, Trilok Gurtu.
She creates repertory pieces for Opéra de Paris (Signes), Opéra de Bordeaux (Hydrogen Jukebox).
Timeline
- 1965–1971 – Leading figure in the Alwin Nikolais company
- 1974–1980 – Etoile-Chorégraphe at the Paris Opera Ballet (GRTOP)
- 1980–1984 – Artistic Director of the Teatro La Fenice, Venice
- 1985–1991 – Resident Artist at the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris
- 1991–1992 – Resident Artist at the Helsinki City Theater and the Finnish National Ballet
- 1994–1995 – Artistic Director of the Cullberg Ballet, Stockholm
- 1999–2002 – Artistic Director of the dance section of the Venice Biennale
- Since 1999 – Artistic director of the Atelier de Paris - Carolyn Carlson, Master classes centre
- Since 2004 – Artistic Director of the National Choreographic Centre of Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais