John Cranko’s Stuttgart Ballet

Abstract The legacy of John Cranko’s Stuttgart Ballet includes his ballets and his underlying philosophy of “experiential intersubjectivity”—a collaborative creative process based on observation of individual experience. Working closely with his colleagues (dancers, composers, designers, etc.), Cranko sought their spontaneous expression to his cue or their solution to the challenges of creating. His choreographic philosophy led away from the traditionally exclusive, hierarchical work style of the ballet world and toward a work style producing individuality and originality. Successfully integrating the divergent ideas and instinctive expressivity of many separate individuals into his ballets, Cranko did more than enable an individualized viewer experience, accessible to a diversified audience. Importantly, Cranko also empowered his colleagues with his democratic and collaborative way of creating ballets in Stuttgart, ultimately forming such choreographers as Jiří Kylián, John Neumeier, and William Forsythe. This chapter looks at what shaped Cranko’s Stuttgart Ballet, the choreographic oeuvre, and the legacy today.