As somebody who does not watch dance or has ever gone to a dance performance, this one clearly stuck with me. It most certainly left me on the edge of my seat in both confusion, curiosity, and awe. The two performances Café Muller and The Rite of Spring by Pina Bausch physically contrasted while still holding on to similar underpinnings.
At the start of Café Muller, I could not keep my eyes open because I was so uncomfortable looking at the single woman walking along the wall in all white. I felt as though I was watching a horror film. As the performance progressed, it held on to this eerie energy with aggressive and repetitive movements. However, these movements were mostly done individually; each dancer played their own role. It seemed that each dancer was independent of the next. I felt as though I was watching a choreography for a play rather than a dance due to its informal and unconventional style.
In The Rite of Spring, the energy was so powerful that there were moments when the performers would have to release themselves through grunts or shouts. This piece, also containing repetitive movements, was much more put together in the sense that all the movements were done in a group rather than sporadically among different individuals. In addition, I had a greater understanding for what the work was portraying through the movements and use of the red cloth/dress due to its contemporary style. One can say that the red fabric represented evil, sexuality, or sin and once the dancer had the dress on she was cast out by her group and danced herself to death.
In both pieces, there is a strong connection to the setting. In Café Muller, the setting added to the eeriness of the play. There were chairs everywhere all empty and as the performers danced, another performer would come over-almost to save them-and move all the chairs out of their path as if they could not control themselves. The use of chairs in this manner could show the relationship of trust between people or even the for caretaking of the dancer out of control. In similarity, The Rite of Spring used setting to convey a connection to the earth. Through the use of dirt or soil in this piece, the dancers seemed to be more primitive in nature or more grounded and connected to their roots of life. There are so many ways one can interpret this performance and Pina Bausch did a wonderful job allowing the audience to be able to compare and contrast these two pieces.
It’s interesting how you say that you felt like you were watching a play rather than a dance due to the style. I can say I definitely felt that as well. While the story or message itself may not have been entirely evident, you most certainly felt that one was being told, albeit without being too explicit.
I honestly very much enjoyed this sort of “sly” form of storytelling, by invoking certain emotions with the often violent and sudden choreography too leaving only small clues with the setting. The audience was most definitely allowed to have the own interpretation of the artwork, and connect it with their own experiences.