Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: Como El Musguito, London
This is the last work created by Pina Bausch before her sudden death in 2009, and it’s one of her lightest and brightest. Como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si... (Like moss on a stone, oh yes, yes, yes) was inspired by Chile, and makes use of songs by poet, musician and activist Victor Jara. Though there are elements of danger and violence on stage, which resonate with the country’s history of political oppression, this work is above all a celebration of the energy and beauty of Bausch’s dancers, and of mankind’s capacity for humour, tenderness and survival.
Sadler’s Wells, EC2, Thu to 14 Feb
The Royal Ballet: Christopher Wheeldon Triple Bill, London
The Royal rarely dedicates a whole programme to a single dance maker, but all the works in this new triple bill are by the company’s artistic associate, choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. The highlight is Strapless, a new work set to music by Mark-Anthony Turnage. It takes its titular imagery and its inspiration from the 1884 painting Madame X, in which John Singer Sargent portrayed a famous Parisian beauty in what was then a scandalous state of déshabillé. Also in the programme is Within The Golden Hour, Wheeldon’s lush setting of Ezio Bosso’s score; and After The Rain, set to the haunting music of Arvo Pärt.
