The performance we observed last week was magical. The initial piece was smaller in scale in terms of the number of performances and the range of motion that occurred in every moment. It featured women who were dancing in contortion, with a few characters that emphasized the confusion of motion. The mood was deeply more somber and there was heavy emphasis placed on the noises and action produced by the individuals rather than the music that was being played. However, the second performance was more “lively”, featuring bolder musical pieces that complement the massive activity by the large group of numbers. They both shared a sense of repetition, but the crux of the first performance was defined by how the audience perceived the constant recycling of motion. My reaction to the first piece was one of deep confusion, the repetition, confusing dances, and cast of characters was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. As someone who hasn’t had much exposure to interpretive dance, dance performances in general, or theatre, this was perhaps one of the most challenging artistic experiences of my life. I was unsure of the purpose of the piece. The second performance was also challenging but the dance was much easier to follow than the initial dance piece. It was “easier” to enjoy but still, I struggled with capturing the essence or purpose of the dance. Like the beginning, there seemed to be a focus on one or two individuals but the role this focus played in framing these dances would need to be studied in greater detail to be truly appreciated. Thusly, this was an incredibly rewarding experience and despite being perplexed, I thoroughly enjoyed the masterful work that were these dances. Oftentimes, the most rewarding observations of art in motion are in pieces that are not easily understood, rather than pieces that possess shallow depth.

Based on my limited exposure to Bausch’s work, I can certainly say that David Jays seems to understand her choreography. To describe Cafe Muller as a “loose, unpredictable montage(s) of scenes, strung together by free association,” seems entirely appropriate. It may feel a bit strange to refer to The Rite of Spring as conventional in any sense, but in contrast with Bausch’s later work, it is certainly less avant-garde.

For one thing, The Rite of Spring does not ask you to reconsider your definition of dance. It is more aggressive and less dainty than, for instance, productions of The Nutcracker that we have all suffered through one December or another, but it is at least partially recognizable as the same medium. There is still synchronization of the company, built around the dynamics of the accompaniment, there is still a linear plot, still a prima ballerina, still the uniform costume. The Rite of Spring, too, stimulates the eyes in the same way a piece of ballet or jazz dance might– creating a living canvas with which the viewer is forced to engage, much like the op art of Bridget Riley or Victor Vasarely. Indeed, there is no hesitation to refer to The Rite of Spring as art– perhaps because people will not hesitate to call anything beautiful, an attractive woman or the view on hiking trip, art. And The Rite of Spring is certainly beautiful, if not a little frightening.

Cafe Muller, on the other hand, lacks all the attributes I first listed. There is little synchronization of the company, the choreography does not seem to correspond directly with the accompaniment, the plot is not linear or traditional (if there even is a plot at all), there is no leader of the company, and no uniform costume. I did not find it to be pleasing to the eye in the way that The Rite of Spring was. Thus, there is some hesitation to put this in the same category as art and dance. It evokes the almost trite, defining question of modern art: what is art? Specifically, what is dance? What is choreography? Because that which I have seen before certainly did not look, or feel, like this.

Upon first glance, Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring may be perceived as an atypical modern dance piece. While the inception of modern dance was intended to challenge many of dance’s traditional aspects, The Rite of Spring is still a jarring surprise to the audience. The guttural, primal, violent repetitions of movement counter conventions of dance as being graceful, controlled, and silent. The spreading of soil on the stage is a tool that in addition to serving the scene and nature of the piece, shocks and intrigues the audience. However, The Rite of Spring is more rooted in traditional modern dance than younger counterparts of Bausch’s pieces of “Tanztheater.”

Tanztheater (dance-theater, in German) may be described as “the union of genuine dance and theatrical methods of stage performance, creating a new, unique dance form,” (Stanford University). Bausch is one of the most internationally celebrated choreographers of Tanztheater, which is reflected and justified upon witnessing Café Müller. The piece is choreographed similarly to how a play may be structured. In contrast to the traditional ensemble of corps and soloists in The Rite of Spring, Café Müller consists of distinct featured characters who each fulfill a specific and important role in relation to one another. For example, two women sleepwalk while a man moves obstacles out of their way, preventing them from hurting themselves. The dance is structured theatrically in that there are separate tracks and stories that an audience may follow. I, personally, found it difficult to decide on whom to focus. The dance becomes an entirely different performance based on whom the audience decides to place their primary focus, which I find similar to a piece of theater. One can apprehend the trajectory and evolution of Bausch’s approach to choreography as her execution of Tanztheater moves increasingly into theatrical territory.

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.

Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller and The Rite of Spring were such intricate performances that gave dance an abstract perspective. The way Bausch’s manipulated movement truly gave a 3-dimensional meaning to dance.  She used a contrast of simple movements to make bold statements and bold movements to make simple statements. The dances at first had me quite confused, but at the same time, they were so different in nature that it compelled me to try to decipher them. One thing I found quite interesting was how the dancers made use of their space, in Cafe Müller there were only about 6 people but they used every inch of the stage. They clearly weren’t confined to one space and neither was the audience’s interpretations. I thought that the girl was sleepwalking, and they didn’t want to wake her up which is why a man kept moving the furniture out of her way. She seemed to be escaping reality, living in this dream world with her lover, but she failed because parts of her reality would come back for her for example when the other man kept adjusting her position with her “lover” repeatedly. Or how they kept slamming each other against the walls, and the girl in the back was what I thought represented her internal suffering, and we see the same theme of repetition with her as well. I think Bausch used repetition significantly through her choreography to amplify the point how such a suffering can impact the mental health of someone, how it’s something that doesn’t go away all at once, and you can’t escape it so easily. Now although I thought that, my neighbor thought something completely different which is the effect Bausch’s dance has on people. With  The Rite of Spring, the movements were quite more dramatic and intense, but the use of the stage was completely different. This time the stage seemed smaller, mostly because there were much more people but they amazingly maintained a form, again using every inch of the stage but without bumping into one another but yet having different movements which made me think if I were to trace every person’s footsteps it would look like a huge scribble, which is kind of what the human experience is like. It’s not as simple as a straight line and everyone has a different path. I did have some background information prior to watching  The Rite of Spring,  it speaks to Russian history and how the girl in the red was the chosen one which is why she had to literally dance to death. But similar to Cafe Müller there were definitely more possibilities to more than one interpretation, for example, there was definitely this theme of gender differences for example when the men would dance the music and movements would get more dramatic and loud but when the women would dance it’d be more elegant and soft. That’s what I loved most about these two pieces, there wasn’t one answer or any wrong answers because the dance wasn’t only dependent on the dancers but our own human experience and how we resonate with the dance, whether that be emotions of confusion, sympathy or admiration.

Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller and The Rite of Spring were explosive dance performances that were enriched with body movements that convey meaning and a story to the audience. Cafe Müller began with a woman in a sheer dress walking into scattered chairs. Other characters appeared exhibiting similar behaviors. It appeared to me that several of the dancers were sleepwalking. The dance continues in a chaotic yet mysterious way. Everyone seems to have a specific role. For example, there is a man in a suit that performs a sequence of embracing positions on two dancers compulsively. The repetitiveness of this action outwardly seems comical, but there is a sad undertone. This also repeats when the two dancers who seem to care for one another slam each other against walls in an aggressive manner. The repetitiveness makes it seem comical, yet there is once again a sadness to it.  Throughout this dance, you can’t help but laugh at some parts but there is a consistent eerie, sad, and mysterious tone that never seems to fade. Peculiarity and sadness combine when the main dancer repeatedly takes off her dress and puts her head down on the table. The dance focuses on relationships through body movement, while telling a mysterious story simultaneously. The Rite of Spring similarly told a story through body movement. The setting is solely a large plain of dirt. Division based on gender plays a major role. The female dancers come out first; then the male dancers. They dance separately at first and several times throughout the dance. At times, the two genders dance in unity. There is unity, yet also separation. There is masculine and feminine energy throughout the dance, as at times the female dancers seem petrified when approaching the male dancers and when the male dancers lift the female dancers. The dance is extremely intense and aggressive. The music is loud and overwhelming. The dancers are covered in sweat and dirt while heavily breathing, making you feel the forceful tone of this piece. The intensity of the dance is portrayed through vigorous dance moves, often performed in unity in a circle formation and through harsh actions such as the dancers punching themselves in the stomach. The red dress is symbolic throughout the dance, as it is constantly held, laid on, or passed on throughout the dance, yet in the end it is worn by one captivating dancer who seems to not fit with either gender role, and dances both boldly and powerfully. While both Cafe Müller and The Rite of Spring have different tones, both dances are purely up to the interpretation of the audience. Their stories are unclear, making the audience challenge themselves to figure out the loose storyline and symbolism in the dances. Both contain symbolism as well, such as the chairs and repetitiveness in Cafe Müller or the dirt and red dress in The Rite of Spring, yet it is up to the audience the determine what these symbols mean and what each dancer’s role truly is in each performance.