An important hurdle has been cleared in the city of Frankfurt’s efforts to bring a new, private ballet company to the city. The public company directed by William Forsythe, which has performed in Frankfurt for years, “will be shut down by the end of the 2003/2004 season because of budgetary constraints. To continue to bring Forsythe premieres to Frankfurt, the renowned choreographer wants to found a private ballet company which would perform its productions in both Frankfurt and Dresden.” City politics have proved quite an obstacle to the plan, but last week, Frankfurt’s mayor, and the head of the city’s cultural bureau declared themselves on board.