Carlson, Carolyn (1943–)
Carlson, Carolyn (1943–)
American dancer and choreographer. Born Mar 7, 1943, in Oakland, California; studied with Claire-Lauche Porter at San Francisco Ballet School; attended University of Utah; trained with Alwin Nikolais.
Often compared to Isadora Duncan for innocence and purity in her work, danced with Alwin Nikolais Company in NY (1965–71); performed with Compagnie Anne Béranger (1971–72); choreographed at Paris Opéra Ballet (1973–80); had large impact on European artistic development (1970s–80s), especially in France and Italy, inspiring establishment of nouvelle dance française and numerous post-modern Italian companies; was artistic director of Cullberg Ballet in Sweden (1994–95). Choreographed works include Densité 21.5 (1st performed at Paris Opéra, 1973), The Year of the Horse (1978), Underwood (1982), L'Orso e la luna (1983), Commedia (1993), and Improvisata (1997).
See also Alain Macaire and Michel Marcelle, Carolyn Carlson (1986).