Monday’s Muse: Pina Bausch

As a trained contemporary dancer, German choreographer Pina Bausch has always been one of my absolute heroes. Interested in the link between the pedestrian form and dance forms, I dedicated my post-graduate dance life to dance theater. It always intrigued me as to why dancers would perform in silence, it only seemed natural to me to include voice, narrative, and gesture when the impulse struck. If I was going to be sharing my stories on stage, then I still wanted to be me, a human being with my faults and strengths. Dance for me was an extension of my own communicational skills, another way in which to relay my own experiences and emotions and allow people respond to them. Whether or not this way of working was more therapeutic for me or the viewer is a case unsolved…

With a unique style and a blend of movement, sound, and prominent stage sets, Pina Bausch is a leading influence in the world of modern dance since the 1970s. Breathtaking performances created by Bausch involved a stage covered in flowers, rain falling onto the dancers leaving a pool of water in which they continued to move and splash around in, and a entire dance work set inside a cafe filled with tables and chairs.

I admire her vision and her dedication, and her strength to use her vulnerability in order to communicate and touch people.