Haunted by Hamlet

Abstract

Choreographer William Forsythe did not set out to engage with Hamlet when creating the 2011 work Sider. Instead, Hamlet’s textual rhythms and dramaturgy were first found to be in uncanny resonance with the ensemble’s choreographic research, then elaborated into a robust, multifaceted, yet obscure dramaturgical underpinning. Drawing on the author’s experience as dramaturg to The Forsythe Company, this article discusses Sider’s devising process, danced dramaturgies, and linkages to Shakespeare’s work, showing how Sider’s choreography, mise en scène, and production mode of live direction extend Hamlet’s dramaturgy to its dancers, audience, and director alike. In doing so, the chapter offers both a close look inside the choreographic craft of Forsythe and his ensemble and a striking example of postdramatic engagement with a classic text.