Pina Bausch, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
In 1984, Tanztheater Wuppertal made its New York debut at BAM, performing what would become the two most iconic works of Pina Bausch’s extraordinary repertoire. More than three decades later, the company returns with a landmark restaging of that historic double bill.
In the autobiographical Café Müller, a sleepwalking woman staggers, arms outstretched, through a dark, cramped restaurant. Amid the plaintive swell of Henry Purcell’s arias, a cast of devastated characters plays out a litany of tender cruelties as they lift, drop, and chase each other in a feedback loop of perpetual disappointment. In The Rite of Spring, Bausch’s ferocious interpretation of Stravinsky’s notorious work, 32 dancers prowl a dirt-covered stage in a hyper-physical carnival of fear and desire. Widely considered a masterwork of the 20th century and among the best incarnations after the riot-spurring original by Vaslav Nijinsky, Bausch’s Rite explodes with singular musicality, sexual charge, and the raw force of its stark tableaux.
Café Müller (1978)
A piece by Pina Bausch
Music by Henry Purcell
Directed and choreographed by Pina Bausch
Set and costume design by Rolf Borzik
Collaboration with Marion Cito and Hans Pop
The Rite of Spring (1975)
Music by Igor Stravinsky
Directed and choreographed by Pina Bausch
Set and costume design by Rolf Borzik
Collaboration with Hans Pop
Members of the BAM Patron Program are invited to enjoy a complimentary drink after select Next Wave performances and mingle with fellow patrons, cast, and crew at these exclusive celebrations.
Meet fellow BAM members over a glass of wine on the Fisher rooftop.
Members of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Ralph Lemon, and BAM Hamm Archives Director Sharon Lehner discuss the company’s return to BAM this season with the iconic works Café Müller and The Rite of Spring.
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Choreographers Brenda Way and KT Nelson offer this meditation on permanence and decay, inspired by the earthen articulations of British land artist Andy Goldsworthy, performed by ODC/Dance.