Pina Bausch Dancers Return to Stage 48 Years Later at London's Sadler's Wells
The original dancers from Pina Bausch's famous 1978 dance piece Kontakthof returned to the stage at London's Sadler's Wells theater 48 years later. Arthur Rosenfeld, 74, and Meryl Tankard, 70, performed alongside video projections of their younger selves and dancers who have died.
Two dancers who helped create one of the most important pieces in modern dance history stepped back on stage nearly five decades later. Arthur Rosenfeld, 74, and Meryl Tankard, 70, performed Pina Bausch's Kontakthof at London's Sadler's Wells theater.
The new version, called Kontakthof - Echoes of '78, combines live performance with video projections from the original 1978 show. The projections show the dancers as their younger selves and include footage of company members who have died.
Kontakthof, which means 'contact yard' in German, is a dance piece that makes fun of dating rituals and social interactions. Pina Bausch created it as part of her groundbreaking work in dance theater, which mixed traditional dance with acting and storytelling.
Meryl Tankard, now a choreographer herself, worked with the Pina Bausch Foundation to add the video elements to the original dance. The result creates a haunting effect as older dancers move alongside their ghostly younger selves.
The performance offers audiences a unique chance to see original cast members from a legendary dance company that changed how people think about movement and theater.
This rare performance shows how art can bridge time and loss, offering audiences a moving look at aging and memory. It demonstrates that creativity doesn't stop with age and gives people a chance to see legendary dancers who shaped modern dance history.
The show runs at Sadler's Wells through April. Other performances may be announced at international dance festivals.
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