Biography of Pina Bausch

Composing the dance and its theatre

27 July 1940 30 June 2009 Philippine Bausch, better known simply as Pina Bausch was born in Solingen, in the Rhineland of Germany, the 27 July 1940. One of the most important choreographers of dance history, from 1973 to lead the "Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch," real world dance institution, based in Wuppertal, Germany. Gave birth to the current "Dance Theatre", born in the early ' 70, along with other choreographers, mostly Germans. The word actually, would "Dance Theatre", translating literally the same Bausch, convinced supporter of his ideas, which at the time were breaking the patterns of a dance too bound and gagged in the so-called Ballet, without giving attention and prominence to the gesture, expression and expressiveness, and thus the theatricality of the dance. Often, the definition that she gave herself of her job was to "composer of dance," even as a reminder of the importance of music and musical inspiration in his works. The beginnings of Bausch, however, are quite hard and difficult. In fact, at the beginning, the little preadolescenziali over the years Pina, dancing the can only dream of. Working in his father's restaurant, does a bit of everything and, at times, but without much luck, appears in some small roles in operettas by interpreting his poor theatre. Of dance classes or dance lessons though, at first, even the shadow. Indeed, the young Philippine lives all the feet are too big, since at the age of twelve years already stocking a 41. At the age of fifteen, circa 1955, enters to "Folkwang Hochschule" Essen, directed by Kurt Jooss, a scholar and promoter of the current aesthetics of expressionist dance, known as Ausdruckstanz, triggered by the great Rudolf von Laban. Within four years, in 1959, the young dancer he graduated and obtained a scholarship from the "Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst", which allows the future creator of "theatre-dance" a postgraduate course and Exchange in the us. Pina Bausch has been studying "special student" to "Julliard School of Music in New York, where he studied together with Antony Tudor, José Limón, Louis Horst and Paul Taylor. Now, Paul Sanasardo and Donya Feuer Dance Company comes in, born in 1957. In the u.s. the Fortune smiles and, above all, they see better than in Europe of his great talent. Take a writing at the New American Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, under the direction of Tudor. Is the 1962 then when the old master Kurt Jooss invited her to return to Germany, to let her play the role of soloist in his rebuilt Folkwang Ballet. But America is far away and the Bausch remains disappointed with the German reality that finds himself upon his return. The only one that seems to keep up and with whom will dance in Italy, in two editions of the Spoleto festival in 1967 and in 1969, is the dancer Jean Cébron, his partner for several years. From 1968 he became choreographer of the Folkwang Ballet. The following year, directing him and begins to create handwritten works. With "Im Wind der Zeit", 1969, WINS first place in the contest by choreographic composition in Cologne. In 1973, she was invited to take over the ballet company of Wuppertal, soon renamed "Wuppertaler Tanztheater": is the emergence of so-called dance-theatre, as it is called at the beginning, which is nothing but the theater in dance. With the Bausch, in this adventure, there are production designer Rolf Borzik and dancers Dominique Mercy, Ian Minarik and Malou Airaudo. His shows are successful right from the start, piling accolades wherever, inspired as they are the most important works of literature and art, as well as the theater, of course. In 1974 the German choreographer creates "Fritz", a piece of music by Mahler and Hufschmidt, while the following year he made "Gluck's" Orpheus und Eurydike and, even, the very important triptych Stravinsky work "Frühlingsopfer", composed of "Wind von West", "Der zweite Frühling" and "Le sacre du printemps". The masterpiece that marks a real turning point in the artistic production of Pina Bausch's "Café Müller", in which one can perceive even the echoes of his past as a young worker in the restaurant. It is forty minutes of dancing to music by Henry Purcell, with six performers, including the same choreographer. In it there is the discovery of the word, the word and an entire range of original sounds, symptomatic of strong emotions and pure, highly scenic and impactful as the laugh and cry as well as sounds stronger and sometimes breaking, as he screams, whispers, symptoms of coughing and piagnucolamenti. Even with the show of 1980, "Ein Stück von Pina Bausch", you can see even more clearly where it's work of the German choreographer, dancing in his neo-Expressionism are directioners now, if you could call it. The dancer, her figure, "transformed" himself, that moves and lives with everyday, doing things even usual, and thereby creating a sort of scandal in European Ballet environments sweetened. The accusations of some sort of criticism are strong and Pina Bausch is also accused of vulgarity and bad taste, especially by the American critics. There is too much realism, to say some, in its innovative work. The consecration came only in the years ' 90. However the years ' 80 mark even more its evolutions, evident in works like "Two Cigarettes in the Dark", 1984, "Victor", 1986, and 1987 's "," Ahnen. All shows that the innovative elements are many and include aspects of nature. Pina Bausch then, takes part in this period in several films, such as "E la nave va" by Federico Fellini, where she played a blind Lady, and the feature film "Die Klage der Kaiserin" of 1989. Initially married to Dutch Rolf Borzik, set and costume designer, who died of leukemia in 1980, since 1981 binds to Ronald Kay, which remains forever his mate, giving her a son, Solomon. After Rome and Palermo, where great is his triumph at last, with full recognition of his "Dance-Theatre", the choreographer takes all due in Madrid, with the work "Tanzabend II", in 1991, and in cities such as Vienna, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Lisbon. Towards the end of the years ' 90, see the light as well as other three cutting jobs lighter, but no less significant, as the Californian "Nur Du", in 1996, the Chinese "Der Fensterputzer", of 1997, and the Portuguese "Masurca Fogo", 1998. In the last decade of his life, where it turns literally worldwide, include the work "Agua", "Nefes" and "Vollmond", 2001, 2003 and 2006 respectively. "Sweet mambo" instead, it's his last notable work and accomplished in all respects, dated 2008. In 2009 he launches into a challenging film project in 3D made by director Wim Wenders, but it stops with the sudden death of choreographer. Pina Bausch dies of cancer on June 30, 2009, in Wuppertal, at the age of 68 years. The documentary, titled "Pina", was released in 2011, and is dedicated entirely to his Dance-Theater, with official presentation during the 61° Festival in Berlin.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.