Iconic BAM Artists

Over the 36 years in which Pina Bausch shaped the work of Tanztheater Wuppertal, until her death in 2009, she created an oeuvre that casts an unerring gaze at reality, while simultaneously giving us the courage to be true to our own wishes and desires. Bausch was appointed director of dance for the Wuppertal theater in 1973. The form she developed in those early years was wholly unfamiliar. In her performances the players did not merely dance; they spoke, sang, and sometimes laughed or cried. This unique genre soon established itself and the seeds were sown to redefine dance throughout the world. Dance-theater evolved into a unique genre, inspiring choreographers across the globe and influencing theater and classical ballet too. Its success can be attributed to the fact that Bausch made a universal human need the key subject of her work—the need for love, intimacy, and emotional security. Her unique ensemble, now under the direction of Dominique Mercy and Robert Sturm, continues to maintain these values going forward.