From November 18, materials from the extensive archive of the choreographer and dance theater founder Pina Bausch, which alone comprises over 300,000 photographs and 9,000 videos, will be presented on the Internet for the first time.
When it comes to Pina Bausch, things are going in quick succession in Wuppertal. At the dance theater, “Ectopia” celebrates its premiere on the weekend, an exceptional project that was created in collaboration with the choreographer Richard Siegal, the star artist Anish Kapoor and the composer Alva Noto. As for the future, Boris Charmatz has just been appointed a new director for the troupe – the first artist to head the ensemble since Pina Bausch’s death in 2009 (SZ from October 22nd). And the city has already announced another management team: During the preliminary phase of the planned Pina Bausch Center, which is to be located in the former theater, the politically experienced curator Bettina Milz will be responsible for coordinating all activities. Last but not least, the project that has been going on for over ten years to process the dance theater archives from the Bausch era and make them accessible online seems to have a happy ending.
The Pina Bausch Foundation, which holds all rights to the choreographer’s work, has announced a new website for November 18th. As stated in the press release, “for the first time materials from the extensive Pina Bausch archive, which alone comprises over 300,000 photographs and 9,000 videos” will be presented via the Internet. Under the chairmanship of Salomon Bausch, the foundation wants to gradually make the legacy of the dance theater founder available worldwide – which of course will take several years, given an oeuvre that comprises over forty pieces.
The journey through time begins with three pieces for the time being: “Fritz”, “Café Müller” and “Palermo, Palermo” came out between 1974 and 1989 and are milestones in the repertoire. Anyone who has ever seen Pina Bausch’s somnambulistic appearance in “Café Müller” will never forget it – and now has the chance to meet again online. The structure of the digital archive, which is sent to the Homepage of the foundation at pinabausch.org It is docked: In cooperation with the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, a data technology was developed with which the holdings can be accessed from any point. A procedure that corresponds to Bausch’s multi-layered staging practice and has the advantage that the user can click through step by step from the notebook to the recording. When the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch celebrates its fiftieth birthday in 2023, hopefully some of its historical dance treasures will be on display from everywhere.