Called the "Queen of German Dance Theater," Pina Bausch is one of the most influential avant-garde figures of our time. She is returning to Tokyo this month with her Tanztheater Wuppertal dance company for their 11th tour since 1986.
Although she celebrates her 68th birthday in July, the chain-smoking, bright blue-eyed, long and lean pioneer of modern dance-theater still guarantees an unforgettable round of jaw-dropping performances. From March 20-30, Tanztheater Wuppertal will be offering two of her well-known pieces, "Palermo, Palermo" and "Vollmond (Full Moon)."
The director and choreographer for the German-based company for over three decades, Bausch likes Japan, and butoh dance in particular. She's won three prestigious awards here, including the Inamori Foundation's 2007 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy. Her 2004 piece titled "Tenchi" was inspired by the country when she and and her dancers stayed for about a month in Saitama in 2003, absorbing the culture and conjuring a "palette" for a choreographed work.