Pina Baausch And The Style Of Dance Theatre

Pina Bausch was born in was born 1940 in Solingen Germany, during Pina’s life she became one of the most influential figures in dance theatre and physical theatre. Pina’s unique style and techniques have changed the way many practitioners now look at creating theatre. During Pina’s early years she received dance training at Folkwang School in Essen under Kurt Jooss. Whilst being taught at Folkwang Pina achieved extraordinary dancing technique. After leaving Folkwang Pina then went on to direct at Wuppertal’s Theatres. Not long after directing for Wuppertal’s Theatres the name was changed in 1973 to Tanztheater Wuppertal, once the name had been changed the Tanztheater it seemed to face a lot of controversy, but in time was credited recognition worldwide. She decided that she wanted her dancers to portray feelings rather than a storyline. Pina Bausch although has had many people that disagree with her style of dance theatre, many saying that it is was not dance, but for many it has inspired and overall has changed the way that physical theatre practitioners create theatre.

‘Bausch looked to bring back emotion and expression through the body, rejecting the aesthetic beauty of codified classical dance.’(Amy Watson. (2011). Pina Bausch and the Style of Dance Theatre. Last accessed 10/10/2013.)

Physical theatre practitioners have embodied Pina Bausch’s style of dance and since the 1980’s have been creating theatre that required the performer to portray raw emotions rather than any particular storyline. Is this why so many physical theatre companies within the U.K produce production that consist of hardship, struggle, love and even creating productions that are based heavily on the current political climate? When physical theatre compan...

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...d from. Minor questions which require very little difficult to answer, slowly Bausch would begin to ask more complex question to draw emotion. Creating an environment where the dancers are constantly being questioned on how they move and what their intentions are behind each movement. Bausch asked these questions so that her performers simulate real experiences. Bausch would never ask her performers to recreate a moment that they had experienced but explain it, explain why and what? Why did they feel that way? What did your body go through when they went through that certain emotional experience? This then converts past experiences into a representative form. Rather than receiving strict and confining direction, Pina Bausch’s technique had the ability to let her style of theatre transcend due to her representative restoration through her performers past experiences.