The Modern & Contemporary Eras

Artifact, 1984

William Forsythe

Artifact by William Forsythe is an exemplar of the transition in western dance from its roots in the Classical Era to the 21st century. The score features electronic music, breaking from ballet's traditional accompaniment by a live orchestra. Far from rebelling against classicsism, Artifact is a self-acclaimed ode to ballet by choreographer William Forsythe.

The Modern & Contemporary Eras

Era overview

Plotting measures in a feature space representing movement diversity and repetition, we can get a sense of the nature of the movement of each dance.

The Classical Era

Coppélia, 1870

Arthur Michel Saint-Léon

Coppélia is widely considered to be an masterpiece of Classical ballet. Based on a short story, the ballet revolves around a comical tale of a boy falling in love with a doll he thinks is real, and the jealousy of his fiancé. Coppélia premiered in Paris in 1870. Ballet companies around the world regularly revive Coppélia for its charming story and brilliant choereography and musicality.