Carolyn Carlson

Born in California in 1943, Carolyn Carlson is a French-American dancer, choreographer, poet, and calligrapher. She began dancing at the San Francisco Ballet School and then at Utah State University. In Salt Lake City, she took classes with Joan Woodbury. She then discovered the work of choreographer and teacher Anna Sokolow and went on to perform her first solo.

Carolyn Carlson arrived in France in 1971. The following year, she made her mark with Rituel pour Un rêve mort, a dance focused on philosophy and spirituality. She played a key role in the emergence of French and Italian contemporary dance with GRTOP at the Paris Opera and Teatrodanza at La Fenice.

She has created over a hundred pieces, many of which are major works in the history of dance, from Density 21.5 to The Year Of The Horse, Blue Lady, and Writings On Water. In 2006, she was awarded a Golden Lion, never before given to a choreographer, by the Venice Biennale. She is also a Commander of Arts and Letters and an Officer of the Legion of Honor.

Founder of the Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson at La Cartoucherie in 1999, she was an associate artist at the Théâtre National de Chaillot from 2014 to 2016. In 2017, new forms of creation emerged: an exhibition for museums, a feature-length dance film for cinema, and more.

In 2019, she obtained French citizenship and was elected the following year as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, choreography section.