Pina Bausch

Lore & Background

Pina Bausch was born in Solingen, Germany, to August and Anita Bausch, who owned a restaurant with guest rooms. She began performing there at a young age, an experience that later influenced her choreography of Café Müller. In 1955 she was accepted into Kurt Jooss's Folkwangschule in Essen, and after graduating in 1959 she studied at the Juilliard School in New York City with teachers including Antony Tudor, José Limón, Alfredo Corvino, and Paul Taylor. She performed with Tudor at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company and with Paul Taylor at New American Ballet, and collaborated with the Paul Sanasardo and Donya Feuer Dance Company. Returning to Essen in 1962, Bausch joined Jooss's Folkwang-Ballett as a soloist and assistant. She choreographed her first piece, Fragmente, in 1968, and succeeded Jooss as artistic director in 1969. Her 1968 piece Im Wind der Zeit won first place for choreography at the International Summer Academy of Dance in Cologne in 1969. In 1973 she was hired by Arno Wüstenhöfer to run the Opernhaus Wuppertal ballet, renamed it Tanztheater Wuppertal, and faced substantial initial criticism from audiences who found her works violent. Her best-known works include Café Müller (1978) and Frühlingsopfer (The Rite of Spring) (1975).

Reader's Guide

Pina Bausch’s significance stems from her pioneering role in Tanztheater, a neo-expressionist dance tradition that emerged from the European and American expressionist movements. Her choreographic approach blended stylized dance movement with prominent sound design and elaborate stage sets, often incorporating natural elements such as soil covering the entire stage for *The Rite of Spring* or carnations in *Nelken*. Bausch actively engaged her dancers in the creative process, using their input to develop pieces. Her work frequently explored themes of trauma, particularly arising from relationships, and employed repetition as a structural device. Notable works include the melancholic *Café Müller* (1978), where dancers with closed eyes stumble through a maze of tables and chairs to Henry Purcell arias, and *The Rite of Spring* (1975), which required the stage floor to be completely covered in earth. Bausch founded the Tanztheater Wuppertal company, which performs internationally and continued after her death. Her style rejected classical ballet forms, favoring pieces with little plot or geographical specificity. Early influences included her teacher Kurt Jooss and the German expressionist dance tradition of Ausdruckstanz, as well as American choreographers Martha Graham, José Limón, and Anna Sokolow, whose impact is visible in her use of gesture and phrasing. Bausch’s work initially faced harsh criticism from Wuppertal audiences, who found her themes violent and threw tomatoes or walked out, while American critic Arlene Croce famously termed her work “pornography of pain.” Despite this, her influence on modern dance from the 1970s onward has been profound.

Did You Know?

• Bausch was born in a restaurant owned by her parents and performed for guests there, influencing her choreography of Café Müller.
• She studied at the Juilliard School in New York City with teachers including Antony Tudor, José Limón, and Paul Taylor.
• Her piece Frühlingsopfer (The Rite of Spring) required the stage to be completely covered with soil.
• She died two days before the scheduled start of filming for the 3D documentary Pina by Wim Wenders.

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