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Time Folds as Dancers Meet Their Younger Selves
8 Apr
Summary
- Original cast members dance alongside their younger selves on film.
- Kontakthof explores themes of aging, time, and lost connections.
- Performers demonstrate enduring vitality and fearless grace despite age.
At Sadler's Wells, "Kontakthof," Pina Bausch's 1978 dance-theatre piece, is presented in a deeply affecting revival.
The original cast members, now in their 70s and 80s, perform the choreography of courting rituals, directly interacting with film projections of their younger selves. This creates a powerful dialogue between past and present, illustrating the passage of time and the enduring nature of human connection.
The performance evokes profound emotions through its depiction of aging, loneliness, and the spectral presence of dancers no longer living. Despite physical fragility, the performers exhibit remarkable vitality, grace, and fearless spirit.
This iteration of "Kontakthof" offers a unique palimpsest of experience, where the past is not merely recalled but actively coexists with the present. The piece concludes with the enduring cyclical nature of life and art, as the music continues until the last dancer ceases movement.
