Dearest bloglets, my sincerest apologies for this lapse in
posting. For reasons beyond my current comprehension, I have decided to take on
a BAJILLION things, which are filling up my days nicely, but sometimes perhaps
a little too much. In recompense, I present you: a new feature! Here at
Wardrobe and the World, I am introducing the (hopefully) monthly “Wardrobe and the Woman” post,
focussing on an inspiring female of my choosing. I have decided to focus on
women specifically for two extremely good reasons: 1) I feel women are sorely
underrepresented in...well....pretty much every possible sphere and 2) ...it
makes the alliteration work.
Pina Bausch - NOT MY PHOTO
This month’s woman is the extraordinary German choreographer
Pina Bausch (about whom, incidentally, I am writing a dissertation. I love it
when a plan comes together.) Her troupe is currently on tour and is performing
at Sadler’s Wells in London until February 16th. I was fortunate
enough to be able to go to one of these performances on Friday and so I thought
I’d take the opportunity to explain a bit about Pina and her work, in the hope
that someone somewhere finds this interesting.
Nelken - NOT MY PHOTO
Nelken - NOT MY PHOTO
Born in Solingen, West Germany, in 1940, Bausch grew up in
her parents’ cafe (believed to be the inspiration for one of her most famous
pieces, Cafe Muller) before heading
off to the Folkwang Schule in Essen when she was fifteen. Here she met Kurt Jooss,
one of the pioneers of a new medium known as “dance theatre”, whom she would
later cite as one of her principal inspirations. Her other great mentor was
Anthony Tudor who taught her while she was at Julliard on a scholarship.
Cafe Muller - NOT MY PHOTO
Cafe Muller - NOT MY PHOTO
Cafe Muller - NOT MY PHOTO
The major turning point in Bausch’s career, however, came in
1972 when she was appointed as the artistic director of the Wuppertal Opera
ballet. After a shaky start where a significant section of the company walked
out, Bausch began to assemble a multi-national, multi-disciplinary troupe with
whom she would create some of the most influential pieces of dance in modern
history.
Rite of Spring - NOT MY PHOTO
Rite of Spring - NOT MY PHOTO
Rite of Spring - NOT MY PHOTO
Her style includes comparatively little “pure dance”, her
pieces are perforated with theatre, her subject matter invariably revolves around
human relationships (especially male-female ones) and the individual within
society (how we present ourselves). Her method is fascinating. She will begin with an idea, a
theme – “tenderness” for example – and then will choreograph some basic
sections. Then she will bombard her performers with the most probing and
personal of questions or instructions:
“Copy
someone else’s tic”
“How do
you behave when you have lost something”
“Do something you’re ashamed of”
“Show injurable parts of the body
and show how they are injurable”
“What are your complexes about
your body?”
Kontakthof, teenage cast- NOT MY PHOTO
Kontakthof, original cast - NOT MY PHOTO
Kontakthof, Over-65s cast - NOT MY PHOTO
This will lead to a heap of small choreographic fragments
which are then organised and re-arranged until you are left with a piece of
theatre so authentic and so personal that watching it often makes you feel
uncomfortable. The audience is required to bring their own experiences to the
piece – you cannot merely be a passive spectator. There is no story to her pieces, they are not about anything, except human life and
experience – you can see whatever you like in them.
Pina - NOT MY PHOTO
Her work has audiences deeply divided – many believe her to
be utterly brilliant (myself included) and enormously influential, see her as challenging
our perceptions on life, theatre, dance. Violence between men and women is a
central problem in her work, and many critics find her pieces gratuitous or
misogynistic, because she offers no solutions. Others dislike her prioritising
of content over form – when I was at Sadler’s Wells on Friday, at least one
woman left during the intermission, bitterly bemoaning the lack of “proper
dance”.
Vollmond - NOT MY PHOTO
Vollmond - NOT MY PHOTO
Vollmond - NOT MY PHOTO
The piece the company are touring currently is called “1980”.
Made in... 1980, it was the first piece Bausch choreographed after the death of
her partner and set designer Rolf Borzik. It explores the themes of childhood –
the games which characterise our early years, and those which we bring (in a
mutated form) into adulthood. In order to talk you through the piece itself (which
is 3 and a half hours long!) I would need another blogpost all its own, so I
shall restrain myself and say merely that it was one of the best theatrical productions
I have yet seen. It was wonderful.
1980 - NOT MY PHOTO
1980 - NOT MY PHOTO
Pina Bausch died in 2009, age 68, 5 days after being
diagnosed with cancer. Her friend and filmmaker Wim Wenders released a film
about her life and work in 2011 which is well worth a watch and for those who might be thus inclined,
there are still tickets available for “1980” and you can buy them HERE... It comes with my highest
recommendation.
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