Born in California, Carolyn Carlson defines herself above all as a nomad. From San Francisco Bay to the University of Utah, from Alwin Nikolais’ company in New York to Anne Béranger’s in France, from the Opéra de Paris to the Teatrodanza La Fenice in Venice, from the Théâtre de la Ville to Helsinki, from the Ballet de l’Opéra de Bordeaux to the Cartoucherie de Paris, from the Venice Biennale to Roubaix, Carolyn Carlson is a tireless traveler, always seeking to develop and share her poetic universe.
Heir to Alwin Nikolais’s conceptions of movement, composition and pedagogy, she arrived in France in 1971. The following year, with Rituel pour un rêve mort (Ritual for a Dead Dream), she signed a poetic manifesto that defined an approach to her work that has remained unchanged ever since: a dance unmistakably turned towards philosophy and spirituality. Carolyn Carlson prefers the term « visual poetry » to « choreography ». Giving birth to works that bear witness to her poetic thinking, and to a complete art form within which movement occupies a privileged place.
Over the past five decades, her influence and success have been considerable in many European countries. She has played a key role in the emergence of French and Italian contemporary dance with the GRTOP at the Opéra de Paris and Teatrodanza at La Fenice. She has created over a hundred pieces, many of which are major milestones in the history of dance, from Density 21.5 to The Year of the horse, from Blue Lady to Steppe, from Maa to Signes, from Writings on water to Inanna.
In 1999 she founded the Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson at the Cartoucherie, which later became the National Choreographic Development Center, then became Artistic Director of the dance section of the Venice Biennale from 1999 to 2002.
In 2006, her work was honored with the first Golden Lion ever awarded to a choreographer by the Venice Biennale.
In 2014, after nine years spent directing the National Choreographic Center of Roubaix (Ballet du Nord), she continued her poetic approach accompanied by dancers loyal to her universe by creating the Carolyn Carlson Company, in residence at the Théâtre National de Chaillot from 2014 to 2016. With an extraordinary repertoire, she combined for 11 years choreographic creations, teaching, transmission and touring of her repertoire, as well as more exceptional projects such as museum exhibitions, audiovisual or editorial projects.
In 2019, the choreographer obtained French nationality and was elected the following year member of the Academy of Fine Arts, choreography section. She is also a Commander of Arts and Letters and in the Order of the Legion of Honor. Her collections of poems have been published by Actes Sud, Invenit, Gallimard, and Le Passeur, and her graphic work is also recognized today and exhibited in museums and art galleries.