Pina Bausch dies at 68

Laura Diffenderfer | Jun 30, 2009 | 1

Pina Bausch, one of the most influential dance makers of the 20th Century, died in Wuppertal on Tuesday at age 68. Her work, called Tanztheater (Dance Theater), inspired so many of us in the fields of modern dance, theater, film and more.

The Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar, who included Bausch's work in his 2002 movie "Talk to Her," said the choreographer was an inspiration to him.  She "was a constant source of pleasure. She sparked very diverse emotions in me and always inspired me," he said in an interview recently published by international news agency AFP.

As Almodovar described her personality, so was her work: inspirational to many, sparking multiple emotions, often in the same inexplicable moment. I saw her "Bamboo Blues" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this past December. As usual, her special blend of dance, text and props produced a dreamscape that did not resemble the reality we see around us, but replicated in our hearts the reality that we feel. It is such a rare gift to be able to do that for an audience once, let alone year after year.

More after the jump.

When walking back to my seat at intermission, I recognized the slight artist, wearing her usual all-black attire. Hair parted and held back, she was sitting quietly in the back row of the orchestra. The crowd shuffled by her, and I stood completely still, completely star-struck. I wondered what she had been thinking while watching her wondrous creation unfold. My boyfriend urged me forward to say hello to my hero, but all I could do was stand there, certain that such an oracle should not be disturbed.  

Shortly after seeing "Bamboo Blues," I was talking with theater director/actress Zishan Ugurlu, who had also recently seen the work. I asked her what she thought about the lightness of the work, in comparison with some of Bausch's darker and more violent pieces like the masterwork "Cafe Muller." I was concerned that Bausch was afraid that American audiences would not accept so much darkness in performance. Zishan disagreed. "I think she is feeling lighter and more hopeful now."

Pina Bausch will remain an inspiration to artists and audience members everywhere. We will remember what was possible, and do what we can to capture life as she did: at times, harrowing, but also wondrous, precious.

"I'm not interested in how people move; I'm interested in what makes them move," Bausch famously remarked.

I know that artists and audience members around the world join me in saying: Thank you for moving us, Pina Bausch.

Please feel free to share your memories in replies to this post.

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