Remembering Pina Bausch

While the world was in shock at Michael Jackson's unexpected death, in a quiet corner of Germany, the leading light of modern dance ceased to shine. At age 68, German choreographer Pina Bausch died on June 30, just five days after being diagnosed with cancer.

Dance journalist Norbert Servos has said that, when Pina Bausch took over the Dance Theatre Wuppertal at the start of the 1973-74 season, "A change occurred in the stagnating development of the German ballet scene."

Influenced by the pre-World War II German expressionist dance, American modern dance and the theatrical innovations of the day, Bausch was one of the pioneers of the genre now known as Tanztheater - "dance theatre".

In contrast with classical ballet, which relies heavily on myths and fairytales, Tanztheater is distinguished by a reality that both the performers and audience share.

Hailed by the equally revered German-based American choreographer William Forstythe as the person who "basically reinvented dance", Bausch never found it out of bounds to combine dance, film, music, text, stand-up comedy and movements from daily life in a single performance.

Her aim was to rid dance of vanity and superficiality, and make it become, once again, an expression of inner emotions.

To Bausch, telling a coherent narrative was not as important as communicating specific situations and feelings. Still, she never failed to fulfil aesthetically, be it with her ingenious choreography or visual spectacles - such as having her dancers literally swim across the stage in a deluge of rain in "Vollmond".

Though barely known in Thailand, Bausch's death is felt here. Last November, the internationally renowned Thai choreographer and dancer Pichet Klunchun was invited to perform his solo piece "I Am a Demon" at the North Rhine-Westphalia International Dance Festival, known casually as "Fest with Pina".

"For me, this is a much greater loss than that of Michael Jackson, which, sadly but truly, meant little to me," says Pichet.

"I saw her photos in a few German newspapers at Frankfurt Airport [on my way to perform in Mexico City], but I couldn't read German so I asked the store clerk what happened. Since that moment, I cannot stop thinking about her.

"Bausch was inarguably the major driving force in directing the evolution of contemporary dance art," Pichet says.

"Her life, innovations and productions were like the key books that all aspiring choreographers and dancers must study. Yet Bausch has had very little influence here. We took after the American models, which focus more on techniques rather than concepts.

"I felt such privilege being invited to her festival, and she, despite her stature, treated me and my work with honour. She even included my work in her festival book, which happened to be her last publication, and wrote me a personal letter.

"I don't know what else to say but I know that I've lost someone very significant."

Another Thai choreographer and dancer, Jitti Chompee, spent weeks watching a variety of dance productions at the "Fest with Pina" last year. His recent works "Remember ... What You Have Done in 24 Hours?" and "In Tune" explored the marriage between dance and theatre.

Jitti too pointed out how Bausch's working methods can greatly benefit Thailand's performing-arts scene.

"In a society where we're more often than not spoon-fed information, it's refreshing to watch something like Bausch's performances, which don't simply tell us, but allow us the freedom of feeling and interpretation.

"We lack professional dance schools, and we have little in the way of professional dance companies, but there are plenty of people who are talented and unique in their own ways who have yet to be polished and brought together."

Jasmine Baker researched Tanztheater as part of her bachelor's programme at Chulalongkorn University. She'll start her master's studies in international performance research at the University of Warwick in September.