.
BERLIN, Germany / Germany.info / June 30, 2009
Pina Bausch, one of the most influential and admired choreographers in the world, died unexpectedly today, just five days after being diagnosed with cancer. She was 68 years old.
As the long-time choreographer of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, Bausch's work dramatically expanded the expressive possibilities of dance. Her quest to dissect and portray human motivations led her to discard the conventions of dance in favor of non-narrative collages that rely heavily on language and humor and emphasize emotional expression over form.
In 2007, Bausch was honored for her life's work with the Kyoto Prize, one of the highest honors in the arts. She was the first woman to receive the prize in the arts and culture field.
Pina Bausch was one of the most influential
choreographers in the world. She died on
June 30, 2009 at the age of 68.
© picture-alliance/dpa
Bausch, who once remarked that she was more interested in what moved people than how people moved, created works that probed human relationships until the end of her life. She had never indicated an intention to retire, and the Tanztheater Wuppertal reported on its Website that she had appeared on stage with her company just over a week before her death.
Born in 1940 in Solingen, Bausch began studying dance in 1955 at the Folkwangschule in Essen under Kurt Jooss, one of the founders of German Ausdruckstanz (Expressionist Dance), which broke with the formal traditions of classical ballet to explore the expressive possibilities of natural movement.
In 1958, a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) allowed Bausch to enroll at Julliard in New York, where she studied under luminaries of modern dance including Louis Horst, Mary Hinkson, Jose Limon and Anthony Tudor. While in New York, she also collaborated with young choreographers including Paul Taylor, Donya Feuer, and Paul Sanasardo.
Members of the Tanztheater Wuppertal company
perform Pina Bausch's "Rite of Spring." Bausch's
works often shift from moments of uncanny
grace to violence and back.
© picture-alliance/dpa
After returning to Germany to work with Kurt Jooss’ new ballet company in Essen, Bausch accepted a post as director of the Wuppertal Ballet. At the helm of her own company for the first time, Bausch mounted a highly experiment piece called “Fritz” that drew jeers from Wuppertal’s conservative audiences.
A series of more conventional pieces followed, which nevertheless included boundary-pushing elements such as topsoil covered stages and graphic depictions of sexual violence. Bausch reached a breakthrough with Blaubart (Bluebeard) in 1977. A watershed in her career, Blaubart melded elements of theater, mime, and opera with dances based on the repetition of natural movements. It dissolved the distinctions between dance and traditional theater in a way that would become a Bausch trademark.
While Blaubart also provoked audience members to slam the auditorium doors on their way out in mid performance, it launched Bausch on a trajectory that would eventually make her company one of the most sought after ensembles at international festivals and Germany's preeminent dance institution. For years, Tanztheater Wuppertal performances have had an astonishing attendance rate of nearly 100 percent.
Bausch also appeared in films, including Pedro Almodovar's Oscar-winning 2002 film "Talk to Her." Before her death, she was preparing to collaborate with German Director Wim Wenders on a 3-D dance film titled, "Pina." [
rc]
© Germany.info
Pina Bausch was one of the most influential
choreographers in the world. She died on
June 30, 2009 at the age of 68.
© picture-alliance/dpa
Bausch, who once remarked that she was more interested in what moved people than how people moved, created works that probed human relationships until the end of her life. She had never indicated an intention to retire, and the Tanztheater Wuppertal reported on its Website that she had appeared on stage with her company just over a week before her death.
Born in 1940 in Solingen, Bausch began studying dance in 1955 at the Folkwangschule in Essen under Kurt Jooss, one of the founders of German Ausdruckstanz (Expressionist Dance), which broke with the formal traditions of classical ballet to explore the expressive possibilities of natural movement.
In 1958, a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) allowed Bausch to enroll at Julliard in New York, where she studied under luminaries of modern dance including Louis Horst, Mary Hinkson, Jose Limon and Anthony Tudor. While in New York, she also collaborated with young choreographers including Paul Taylor, Donya Feuer, and Paul Sanasardo.
Members of the Tanztheater Wuppertal company
perform Pina Bausch's "Rite of Spring." Bausch's
works often shift from moments of uncanny
grace to violence and back.
© picture-alliance/dpa
After returning to Germany to work with Kurt Jooss’ new ballet company in Essen, Bausch accepted a post as director of the Wuppertal Ballet. At the helm of her own company for the first time, Bausch mounted a highly experiment piece called “Fritz” that drew jeers from Wuppertal’s conservative audiences.
A series of more conventional pieces followed, which nevertheless included boundary-pushing elements such as topsoil covered stages and graphic depictions of sexual violence. Bausch reached a breakthrough with Blaubart (Bluebeard) in 1977. A watershed in her career, Blaubart melded elements of theater, mime, and opera with dances based on the repetition of natural movements. It dissolved the distinctions between dance and traditional theater in a way that would become a Bausch trademark.
While Blaubart also provoked audience members to slam the auditorium doors on their way out in mid performance, it launched Bausch on a trajectory that would eventually make her company one of the most sought after ensembles at international festivals and Germany's preeminent dance institution. For years, Tanztheater Wuppertal performances have had an astonishing attendance rate of nearly 100 percent.
Bausch also appeared in films, including Pedro Almodovar's Oscar-winning 2002 film "Talk to Her." Before her death, she was preparing to collaborate with German Director Wim Wenders on a 3-D dance film titled, "Pina." [rc]
© Germany.info
