Simone Forti, an innovative postmodern choreographer, writer, and visual artist known for her groundbreaking exploration of movement and its relationship to everyday objects, died on July 29 at her home in Hollywood. She was 91. Forti had battled Parkinson’s disease for several years but continued to teach and perform well into her late 80s.

Born Simonetta Forti on March 25, 1935, in Florence, Italy, she and her family, who were Jewish, fled to the United States via Switzerland during the late 1930s. The family settled in Los Angeles, where Forti attended public schools and took informal dance lessons. She briefly studied humanities at Reed College in Oregon before leaving to focus on artistic pursuits.

Forti rose to prominence with her influential 1961 piece, *Dance Constructions*, which premiered at artist Yoko Ono’s loft in Lower Manhattan. The performance consisted of a series of short works blending sculpture, improvisation, and simple physical materials, such as plywood and rope, that invited dancers to interact with everyday objects. These pieces—“Slant Board,” “Hangers,” “Huddle,” “Platforms,” and “Accompaniment for La Monte’s ‘2 Sounds’”—pushed the boundaries of dance by emphasizing spontaneous movement and physical forces over predetermined choreography.

Described as a pivotal moment in postmodern dance, Forti’s *Dance Constructions* notably influenced the Judson Dance Theater, a collective that helped redefine the possibilities of dance in the 1960s. Although she was not a member of the group, her work shaped the approaches of choreographers like Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, and Lucinda Childs. Rainer, in particular, acknowledged Forti’s impact on her artistic development, recalling their collaboration on the work “See Saw,” one of the original *Dance Constructions.*

Forti’s artistic approach embraced a wide range of inspirations, including children’s play, animals, Minimalist art, and psychedelic experiences. Her 1968 *Zoo Mantras* drew from the repetitive movements of zoo animals, reflecting her belief that movement in all its forms could be seen as dance. Forti’s interest in improvisation and body intelligence was also shaped by her time studying with Anna Halprin in California, whose nature-based movement practices emphasized sensory awareness and organic expression.

Beyond dance, Forti engaged with visual art and new media, collaborating with figures from the Fluxus movement and producing holographic versions of her works in the 1970s. She incorporated language and spoken word in performances such as her *News Animations*, which connected current events and personal history.

Forti’s work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which acquired her *Dance Constructions* in 2015. MoMA has worked to preserve the legacy of her pieces through workshops and performances, ensuring their continued resonance in contemporary dance communities. Stuart Comer, MoMA’s chief curator of media and performance, described the acquisition as a means to sustain “body-to-body transmission” of Forti’s works across generations.

In 2023, Forti received the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in dance at the Venice Biennale, recognizing her cross-disciplinary influence and pioneering role in redefining movement as a form of artistic inquiry. She is remembered for merging intellectual rigor with an intuitive, embodied approach, championing the body as a site for experimentation and creative play.

Forti is survived by her extensive artistic legacy but had no immediate family heirs. Her contributions remain foundational in shaping the discourse of postmodern dance and contemporary performance art.