Classical ballet was history being passed down until Balanchine arrived to change it. Balanchine was an obvious influence on early Forsythe and he accepts, “that the first works I did were very clear imitations.” Forsythe is even considered the “natural heir to Balanchine.” It was Forsythe’s technical advancements that set him apart from Balanchine. Forsythe’s research of movement assisted in the creation of his own style of performance. Forsythe began to learn to personalize his works rather than imitate Balanchine. Forsythe said he had to find his way, “around Balanchine, Petipa...the whole crowd,” which “is the process of imitating each other.” The two were very similar in their themes of counterpoint, musicality and movement, but Forsythe
