Recommended: "Dancing Dreams"

Dancing Dreams (2009)

Documentary film by Anne Linsel (writing/direction) and Rainer Hoffman (director of photography)

89 min. German with English subtitles

(c)Ursula Kaufmann

I'm just catching up with Dancing Dreams--the most recent Anne Linsel film on choreographer Pina Bausch--which recently became available on DVD through First Run Features. In the wake of Bausch's sudden death in 2009, this film stands as a testament to her unique vision and an intriguing look at all that goes into making a Bausch piece work.

The documentary tracks the development of an unusual project that Bausch conceived in 2007. We watch the selection and training of forty Wuppertal teenagers with no previous training in dance to perform Bausch's 1978 work, Kontakthof (Contact Zone), a study of "tenderness and aggression" in human relations. Interestingly, something of the youngsters' natural adolescent awkwardness fits what's awkward (and also what's rambunctious) about Bausch's movement and scenarios, but that's not all to it. There's an incredible amount of work to be done--like trying to find within oneself and then convincingly release "a serious kind of laugh"--and you get a sense of how difficult it all is. Some of these youngsters agreed to join because they thought it might be a lark, a diversion to share with their mates. What they end up sharing is the challenge and opportunity of a lifetime.

To draw us closer, Linsel follows the struggles, hopes and determination of a few of the kids. We come to know a little about their lives and backgrounds and feel empathy. We hear, ultimately, that the project has boosted confidence and poise and improved school performance. Eventually, all grow into a "close community," as Bausch says, approving the exacting work of her two rehearsal directors--Tanztheater Wuppertal vets Jo-Ann Endicott and Bénédicte Billiet--who have brought these students so far in a relatively short time.

Dancing Dreams is an inspiring film for aspiring young dancers and, for all who will miss Bausch, a loving tribute.