Why November reminds me of Pina Bausch

I first saw Pina Bausch at The Brooklyn Academy of Music in the late fall of 1985.  Then, again in 1986.  I had no idea who she was when I was first invited to go see her work, and to be honest, had no idea what I was in store for when the lights went up.

It was only after seeing Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal perform that fall, when I finally discovered that a medium as elusive as "Dance" can provide work that is both exquisitely beautiful, heartbreaking and crashingly slapstick all at the same time.

Director and choreographer Pina Bausch (July 27, 1940 - June 30, 2009) "Cafe Muller" (1978, TV version 1985) Cast: Pina Bausch, Malou Airaudo, Domenique Mercy, Jan Minarik, Nazareth Panadero, Jean Laurent Sasportes. Musiс by Henry Purcell / "The Fairy Queen" and "Dido and Aeneas"

When I looked at the calendar change today, to November, I suddenly, inexplicably, had a flashback to this period in New York City of November in 1986.

For some reason I am reminded of that brief time of shaking things up and largess and days when artists seem to reflect so much promise.

Odd, really, this is on my mind now, because the world today is nothing like things were then.  Back then we wore red lipstick and shoulder pads.  Back then even the night air seemed to glitter.  Back then we thought Thatcher and Reagan was the worst it could get.

November back then was a time of wild discovery in mid-1980's in New York City, for which I am immensely grateful to have experienced:  A time of bold risk-taking and intense theatricality.  The cockiness in those city streets seems unrivaled to this day.  The artistic collaborations I witnessed then colors the way I view all art, to this day.  No, actually it colors my entire life.

Those epic, jewel-toned memories of ground-breaking performances hover at the very surface of my memory, these days.  Until recently, I could not fathom how my past could prepare me for, or be any use for the life I am living here, today, in suburban Orange County.  When my job title now is mostly: "Mom."  But, actually, I do get it now.

Now, I know that all I absorbed then has inextricably become a part of the framework from which I now measure all creativity.

Now, I even teach my children to witness their five senses, and take the time to discover which mediums of expression best work for them.  To find a way to celebrate seizing the day in whatever manner best suits them.

And if they choose to express themselves I want them to know that creating something meaningful  needs to be universal, but also must remain deeply personal to them.   This sounds easy, but it isn't.

Nothing can be beautiful unless it is personal.   There are many fine artists who remind us of this, but in the world of dance, none more so than Pina Bausch with her wild vision.

Bausch's work completely turned upside down the way I thought about dance.

Movement.  The use of negative space in relation to musicality.  The use of all movement as "dance."  What is choreography?  What movement is considered dance?  It changed the way I think about theatricality and performance space.  Of storytelling.  To this day I find her work endlessly fascinating, shocking, hilarious and unforgettably, beautiful.  Her work, and her company's work will remain in my heart and haunt me forever.

I am saddened to see that Pina Bausch no longer alive.  Somehow this escaped my notice until today when I saw this piece of hers from the '80's.

Here's the link to the Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal.

Here's a link to where to buy posters of Pina Bausch's company and work.  I borrowed these images from her site, so if you like them, you can buy them at the link above.