Pina Bausch – Wim Wenders

Movie director Wim Wenders made a new film in 3D about Pina Bausch and her ballet company, that worked in Wuppertal (my hometown), Germany. Pina Bausch died 2009. So this movie became a tribute to her life-long engagement.

I like the ballet photo
of the Dutch photographer
Peter Voerman / “Oude School”
title: Ballet class 8
Originally uploaded by
Oude School / Peter Voerman

The work of Pina Bausch tried to create a new language, a body or dance-language with topics, we maybe cannot yet find in verbal systems. Maybe in music systems. So Pina Bausch tried to express with her creative choreographies, what music tries to express: pain and joy, fear or rage etc. Also existence philosophy has similar topics, as well as the fine art of expressionism, pop music, classical music, folk music of different continents and so on. Pina Bausch tries to mention all those feelings, which a human being has during a life-time. For example early dance school memories, feelings of being in a crowd or alone, running, creeping, sleeping. Holding, loosing, weeping, laughing. This movie touched my heart, though there was not any story who could combine all those fragments. This film is nearly an abstract document of human feelings. There are wonderful music interpretations. Character interpretations. Pina Bausch succeeded in digging out the inner point of all her dancers in the company. The different nations, working together as a team for many years, European (from Russia to Spain), Asian, African dancers etc. – they all had a chance to express themselves. Not a book, not a sculpture of stone, only a movie could try to make a document of Pina Bausch’s art. I think Wim Wenders managed that problem very well with his idea of a 3D-movie. Yes we sat there in the chairs with those silly 3d-glasses on our noses. Maybe this movie is a first step to set new goals in dance choreographies worldwide. Like the paintings of a Picasso once have been a first step, or the music of New Orleans always will be a basic statement, if there was a disaster flood or not. In the beginning, in the middle, at the very end of that movie a rite was repeated: following the rhythm and sound of an early New Orleans Dixie Music, Kid Ory style, pathetically marched the line of the companies dancers: proud, happy but sincerely nevertheless. It seemed to be a funeral march as a tribute to Pina Bausch. That she died 2009 was a big handicap for Wim Wenders, who wanted to produce that film together with Pina Bausch. But maybe now he was inspired much stronger, to do his very best.

related:
http://wim-wenders.com/ + http://www.pina-film.de/en/ + http://www.pina-film.de/en/trailer.html
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The film used fragments of the following shows:

• Vollmond
• Kontakthof, http://www.pina-bausch.de/en/pieces/kontakthof_14.php
• Le Sacre du printemps
• Café Müller

me, sitting in the Wuppertal Schwebebahn

P.S.:
Because the the ballet company of Pina Bausch worked in Wuppertal, Germany, my hometown, I am very heart-touched, because I see all the typical locations of my hometown: the Schwebebahn (the mono-railway construction with wheels on the rooftop, following the line of the river Wupper, built 1901, still driving daily). Some architecture of that region North Rhine-Westphalia, well known for me of course. I hope, that this movie will be watched not only in Germany, but in other countries too: as an ambassador of the region where I was born – and surely will end…
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Related Articles

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pina_Bausch
• http://euro2008balls.co.cc/2011/03/03/pina-bausch/
• the death of Pina Bausch (humaniteinenglish.com)
• Wim Wenders taps into 3D for documentary on Pina Bausch (guardian.co.uk)
• Wim Wenders premieres Pina Bausch dance film in 3D (reuters.com)
• Berlin film festival: does Wim Wenders capture the magic of Pina Bausch’s art? (guardian.co.uk)
• Wenders pays 3D tribute to choreographer Bausch (pbpulse.com)
• Wenders pays 3D tribute to choreographer Bausch (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Director Wim Wenders hits dance floor with 3D film (reuters.com)
• Pina – review (guardian.co.uk)
• You: Wim Wenders expected to direct Bayreuth ‘Ring’ cycle in 2013 (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• This week’s arts diary (guardian.co.uk)
• Arthouse veterans add an extra dimension to Berlin (independent.co.uk)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn
• Wim Wenders – PINA World Premiere (imaginatioetratio.org)
• Bausch season to grace Olympiad (bbc.co.uk)
• Bausch cycle plans for London 2012 (guardian.co.uk)

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Wuppertal poster by Frizztext, on Flickr
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compare another ballet movie: BLACK SWAN

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Kid Ory, Jet Black Blues, youtube (in the movie Pina Bausch featured a funeral song with her ballet company embedded a similar music like this):

Kid Ory – Jet Black Blues

About Didi van Frits

writer, photographer, guitarist, painter

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