Bausch, who died in , was one of the most significant figures of modern dance, and the pioneer of a unique style drawn from the German theatrical dance tradition known as tanztheater.
Her striking dances and elaborate stagings explored personal memory and the relationships between men and women, among other things, through a mixture of movement, monologue and narrative elements that drew upon explosive, often painful emotions. Capturing the company's rehearsals and performances over a five-week European tour, Akerman takes us inside their process.
She interviews members of the company, who Bausch chose not only for their talents, but for certain intangible personal qualities as well. The dancers describe the development of various dances, and the way that Bausch calls upon them to supply autobiographical details around which the performances were frequently built. Akerman also shows us excerpts from performances of Bausch dances, including Komm Tanz Mit Mir Come Dance with Me , Nelken Carnations , Walzer , and , all recorded with Akerman's singular visual touch.
With her audacious compositions, decisive cuts, and tightrope-tremulous sense of time-and her stark simplicity-it shares, in a way that Wenders's film doesn't, the immediate exhilaration of the moment of creation. Akerman's film is of a piece with Bausch's dances. Using lengthy takes and exacting compositions two of her stylistic signatures , she encourages us to reflect on how the dancers' bodies give form to Bausch's ideas.
It is a tiny glimpse into the psyche of the choreographer as well as a look at why Bausch dances appear as scenes within a film. Chantal Akerman 64 minutes Color French English subtitles. The story of artistic genius Ohad Naharin, one of the most important choreographers in the world, who redefined the language of modern dance. Chantal Akerman by Chantal Akerman. In the Steps of Trisha Brown.
