Pina Bausch

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Pina Bausch is a choreographer; one of the giant figures of modern dance, and a leading influence in the development of the Tanztheater style of dance.

She is director and choreographer of the "Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch" company, based in Wuppertal in Germany. The company has a large repertoire of original pieces, and regularly tours throughout the world.

Pina (short for Philippine), was born in nearby Solingen, Germany, on July 27, 1940. Her parents,who ran a small hotel and restaurant, sent her to ballet class.

In 1955 she began studying at the Folkwang School in Essen directed by Germany's then most influential choreographer Kurt Jooss.

After graduating, she won a grant to continue her studies at the Juilliard school in New York in 1960, where she was taught by Anthony Tudor, José Limón, and Paul Taylor (amongst others).

Whilst in New York she performed with the Paul Sanasardo and Donya Feuer Dance Company, the New American Ballet, and later with the Metropolitan Opera ballet company.

Returning home to Germany in 1962, Bausch joined the Folkwang Ballett Company as a soloist before choreographing her first piece in 1968. The following year, she succeeded Jooss as artistic director of the Folkwang Ballet.

In 1972 Bausch was offered and accepted the directorship of the Wuppertal Opera Ballet, based in Wuppertal.

The company was later renamed the "Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch."

She was married to Rolf Borzik, a designer (who died in 1980), and has a son, Salomon.

Male-female interaction is a theme found throughout her work, which has been an inspiration for—and reached a wider audience through—the movie Talk to Her, directed by Pedro Almodovar. Her pieces are constructed of short units of dialogue and action, often of a surreal nature. Repetition is an important structuring device.

Her work is also known for infusing humor with sadness. Her large multi-media productions often involve elaborate sets and eclectic music. For example, in Mascura Fogo half the stage is taken up by a giant, rocky hill, and the score includes everything from Portuguese music to K. D. Lang.

She continues to create new work while reviving some of her earlier pieces.

[edit] References

Stanford Presidential Lectures in the Humanities and Arts "Pina Bausch: Life and works"
Tanztheater Wuppertal Biography of Pina Bausch
www.ballet.co.uk A reprint of a rare interview with Valerie Lawson which first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald in July 2000