march

what moves me

"My mother loved walking barefoot in the snow. And also having snowball fights with me, or building igloos. She also liked climbing trees. And she was tremendously frightened during thunderstorms. She would hide in the wardrobe behind the coats."

-From a speech held by Pina Bausch on the occasion of the Kyoto Prize award ceremony in 2007.

You can read it in full here Published by courtesy of the Inamori Foundationu ... I really recommend that you do!

Pina Bausch, Masurca Fogo

a life time

Over 14, in the middle and over 65 all dancing Pina's Kontacthof
Watch, move with and play with people of all ages. You'll learn alot!
 

talk to her

It has been said (many times) that the most beautiful ballets are the ones that makes us forget the weight of the dancers’ bodies. With Pina Bausch, on the contrary, dance becomes a vehicle of celebration of this weight in its interaction with itself, the others’ and the environment. Her work is used beautifully in Hable con Ella by Pedro Almodóvar with that idea in mind, the dance segments in the film really reflect the musical rhythm and language of the story. I really recommend watching it and if it is of interest this essay is a good read.

Le Weekend!

Enjoy it.
Do something that makes you feel wild and unstoppable.
You don’t have to be humble, you don’t have to be small, you just have to be kind.

(gif found here)

Hiding your hurt only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and only become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets. So take off your mask, stop pretending you’re perfect and walk into freedom.

-- Rick Warren

(image: Pina Bausch) 

Pina

Pina

  Pina Bausch's The Complaint of an Empress (Die Klage der Kaiserin). Released in 1990, this rare film was the only one she directed.

'The Complaint of an Empress was produced between October 1987 and April 1989. The general framework is set by the changing seasons - autumn, winter and spring. The film's inner structure reflects Pina Bausch's method of working as developed with the Wuppertal Theatre of Dance. The film consequently does not tell a story, but is made up of various scenes put together as a collage reflecting certain moods and invoking different associations. The film's' scenes, some of which are thoroughly absurd, are set in different locations, such as the woods and fields around Wuppertal, the city centre, the suspension railway, a carpet shop, a greenhouse and the rehearsal room in a former cinema (Wuppertal's "Lichtburg").'

Pina's work is MAGNIFICENT. The choreography is so emotive and mysterious and massively life-affirming. A firm favorite and constant inspiration.

See here, here,  here and here for past Pina posts.

"Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost"

-- Pina Bausch

it helps

Have you noticed the way your breath moves differently around your body as you move?

Lift up your arms and breathe.  See how different it feels compared to having your arms by your side. I love the transition in breath that comes with an arm lift...It helps my extension....

Image from Le Sacre Du Printemps - Pina Bausch

Dancing Dreams

In 2008, world famous dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch selected 40 teenagers who had never heard of her to be part of the dance performance 'A Place to Make Contact' (Kontakthof). They spent the next ten months falling in love with dance and discovering the work of Pina Bausch. 
Pina died in 2009. This film is a testimony to her revolutionary work and the impact she had on the contemporary dance movement. 

I watched this last night and I highly recommend it! By far one of the most life-affirming things i've seen in a while. It made me cry. It's stunning.

“Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost”

Pina Bausch (1940-2009)

Just a gorgeous reminder to be yourself, and move, and don’t be afraid to contort.

(via bbook)