Post-modern Dance – Pina Bausch

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Pina Bausch show “…como el musguito en la piedra. ay si, si, si..” was an extraordinarily revolutionary piece. For the most part following the philosophy of post-modern dance, Bausch created a choreography in which the bodies of the dancers were the eye’s magnets, and led the inertia of the dance. A mix comedy and intense moments of tension and movement, the choreography was thoroughly broken up into apparently random sketches and dance pieces, along with a beautiful Spanish soundtrack. Probably the most post-modern dance element was the fact the music would suddenly interrupt and change to a completely different tone, as if what you really had to focus on were the dancers, and everything else was merely functional, it had no deeper meaning. The movement of the dancers was very flowing, continuous, as opposed to the music which kept changing tone. The minimal setting, also along the philosophy of the post-modern movement, was composed of a white floor that kept breaking up and getting  back together randomly throughout the performance, once again as if that was not the main focus.

I found, however, that some elements contrasted post-modern dance; for example the costumes were very colorful, there was a lot of different props brought in, and the dancers were not bare foot most of the time, they were wearing dancing shoes or even heels. All these last aspects pretty much contrasted what the philosophy of post-modern dance was, which shifted the focus from the music and setting along with a choreography to strictly the movement of the bodies.

Overall, I thought what really symbolized the essence of the show were the moments between the comical sketches in which the dancers would fluidly embrace the stage with their movements, in pieces about 5-minutes long each, and that would completely capture the eye of the viewer that would follow the water-like movements of the dancer’s hair and limbs.

 

Sara Camnasio

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About Sara Camnasio

I'm Sara, yes Sara without the H. I was born in an anonymous town in the middle of nowhere, in the industrial Northern Italy. I grew up with my fingers sticky from pasta dough and my face powdered with flour, helping my grandmother to make the most loved meals in the world. I was tossed in my grandma's arms at age 4—when my parents divorced—and I lived a spoon-fed life until I was 8, when I moved with my father and his new wife to what would have become my hometown. Bosisio Parini—a name that barely appears on any map—was the place I spent most of my life in: two-thousand people, three churches, and the lake, puddle of memories. But despite its stunning beauty, that limiting environment granted no future for us. So I had to jump, take the biggest leap of my life: on the 22nd of December 2009 I moved to the Big Apple with my mother and sister, leaving my dad to Italy to support us financially. I was thrown in the illogical world of slang and French fries, but somehow—fantastically—I managed to become part of it without gaining fifty pounds. I may speak with my hands, but I swear one can barely hear my accent. I feel more American than ever, although I'll never forget my origins; that little village—to me—is that one place where you feel like you left your anchor. I mean—would have been a pretty heavy load to carry overseas, all the way to New York city.

One thought on “Post-modern Dance – Pina Bausch”

  1. Pina Bausch’s piece “…como el musguito en la piedra. ay si, si, si..” was a strong example of the post-modern philosophy, with dashes of more traditional dance. Pina emphasized the bodies in the company; the work opened with a couple of men trying to move a protesting woman who heaved and struggled until she was released. This act was a physical representation of an emotion; the woman needed space and air, sought freedom from the men. Her body was an acute example of this. The men carried her around on a pole, as if she was an object that was not to be touched.
    Dancers alternated between solo performances and everyday acts. Women sat down to eat, then hid under the table to eat like savages with their hands. Men did push ups to the encouragement of women. I agree with Sara that the music was a very important element. Often, it would stop completely, breaking the spell of the dance. The dancers would tell stories and say witty things, inviting the audience into the performance through wit and sarcasm. This is a technique that one would never see in a modern dance performance where the dancers are distanced from the audience. However, post-modern dance emphasizes the connection between the dancers and the audience and seeks to make the dance relevant to everyday life. Through their interludes and asides, the dancers made the dance piece more like a play than a dance.
    The work also had elements of traditional dance. Again, the music set the tone. The dancers were aware of the music and it fit into their dance. They were dancing to it, not separately. There were times when they were so in sync with the music that it seemed they were singing themselves. The costumes also contrasted the post-modern philosophy. They were colorful and theatrical, not bare and minimal. The dancers sometimes wore shoes and even heels, dancing traditionally. The staging and set design helped to convey the way these relationships continually break apart, are lost, and come back together without explanation. The dancers stepped over these breaks in the stage effortlessly and without notice. Overall, I believe this piece was post-modern; the dancers used the body and wit to represent the strong ideas about relationships.

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