The above clip is in German with French subtitles, but now Dancing Dreams is available on DVD with English subtitles. Hooray and danke schon!
By Victoria Looseleaf
A year before she died unexpectedly, in 2009, the incomparable dancer/choreographer Pina Bausch chose 40 teenagers to be part of her dance work, Contact Zone. The cool part was that these kids had never before heard of the beloved Bausch. During the 10 months the group worked – and through opening night – the teen terpsichores discovered not only Bausch’s genius, but their own bodies.
The one and only, Pina Bausch, Goddess of German Tanztheater
Now we can relive this fascinating journey in Dancing Dreams, a documentary directed by Anne Linsel and Rainer Hoffman. A testament to Bausch’s revolutionary work – and spirit – the film was shown earlier this year in various cities around the world, including Montpellier, France. Lucky moi: As I was covering that fabulous city’s dance festival for Dance Magazine, I was able to catch a showing of the documentary. And though it was – hello – in German (with French subtitles), I still got it, as dance is the art of non-verbal communication. But owning Dancing Dreams on DVD (First Run Features), is not only a treat, but a must – for Pina fans and Pina virgins – not least because this is the last celluloid appearance of the groundbreaking and brilliant, Pina Bausch.