Douglas Becker is a

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

and dance teacher from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, who works in

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

, and

dance improvisation Dance improvisation is the process of spontaneously creating movement. Development of movement material is facilitated through a variety of creative explorations including body mapping through levels, shape and dynamics schema. Improvisation is a f ...

. A founding member and principal dancer of the Frankfurt Ballet under the direction of choreographer William Forsythe, he was involved in the development of many of Forsythe's early signature pieces and is one of only a few people with the authority to remount his repertory.

Early career

A native of Dallas, Texas, Becker began his ballet training in Texas under Nathalia Krassovska and

Stanley Hall Granville Stanley Hall (February 1, 1844 – April 24, 1924) was an American psychologist and educator who earned the first doctorate in psychology awarded in the United States of America at Harvard University in the nineteenth century. His ...

, and continued in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with David Howard,

Maggie Black Margaret Black (March 31, 1930 – May 11, 2015) was a ballet teacher who taught in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. She coached dancers such as Martine Van Hamel, Kevin McKenzie, Natalia Makarova and Gelsey Kirkland. She developed a ba ...

and Marjorie Mussman. In 1978, he joined the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

and worked with choreographers including

Agnes de Mille Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Early years Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...

, Choo San Goh and

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, after which he joined the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

under the direction of Alexander Grant. He toured extensively with the company, performing with guest artists

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

and Erik Bruhn. Joining the Dallas Ballet under Danish choreographer

Flemming Flindt Flemming Flindt (30 June 1936 – 3 March 2009) was a Danish choreographer born in Copenhagen. He studied at the Royal Danish Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet schools, joined the Royal Danish Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 1955. He guested w ...

, Becker was then invited by William Forsythe to join the Frankfurt Ballet.

Frankfurt Ballet

As a founding member and principal dancer of the Frankfurt Ballet, under Forsythe's direction, Becker was involved in the development of many of Forsythe's early signature pieces and is one of only a few people with the authority to remount his repertory. While in the Frankfurt Ballet, Becker appeared in many works created by Forsythe, including: LDC, Artifact (I, II, III, IV), France/Dance, Steptext, Behind The China Dogs, Big White Baby Dog, Die Befragung des Robert Scott, Enemy in the Figure, Herman Schmerman, Impressing the Czar, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Isabelle's Dance, Limbs Theorem, Love Songs, New Sleep, Same Old Story, Say Bye Bye, Skinny, Slingerland, Steptext, The Loss of Small Detail, The Second Detail, and The Vile Parody of Address. Of these works, he has since reconstructed ''Steptext'', ''Artifact II'', ''New Sleep'' Full length and pas de deux, ''The Vile Parody of Address'', and ''Die Befragung des Robert Scott''. At Frankfurt he also worked with Amanda Miller, Stephen Petronio, Susan Marshall and

Jan Fabre Jan Fabre (born 14 December 1958) is a versatile Belgian artist known for his contributions to theater, literature, and visual arts. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Fabre has established himself as an influential figure in the artist ...

Choreography

Becker has received choreography commissions from Belgium's Royal Flemish Theatre, Switzerland's

Grand Théâtre de Genève Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officia ...

, and France's CCN Ballet de Lorraine. His improvisation installation, "The Third Eye" was constructed for the

Musée de Grenoble The Museum of Grenoble () is a municipal museum of Fine Arts and antiquities in the city of Grenoble in the Isère region of France. Located on the left bank of the Isère (river), Isère River, place Lavalette, it is known both for its collecti ...

. As a Flemish Government Arts Commission grant recipient, Becker directed and performed in the stage work, ''Brutal Elves in the Woods'', for Brussels' arts laboratory Nadine. Becker has worked as guest faculty at P.A.R.T.S. School Brussels, the National Conservatories of Paris and Lyon,

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

among others. Between 2007 and 2011, Becker founded and curated the Hollins University/American Dance Festival Masters of Fine Arts international extended studies program, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. In 2011/12 Douglas Becker became artist-in-residence/visiting master lecturer at the University of the Arts Philadelphia. In 2012/13 Becker was artist-in-residence at the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a public art school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants a high school diploma, in addition to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina Sc ...

. Becker's own choreography has been described as "innovative and energetic, very graphic and with purity of movement" by Swiss newspaper '' 24 Heures'', and praised for its "delicate, intricate partnering and fleet movements" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

References

External links

http://www.douglasbecker.be (Official Douglas Becker website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Douglas American male ballet dancers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)