Dancing at Dusk – A Moment with Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring

While many museums remain shuttered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that are now reopening as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.

The German choreographer Pina Bausch’s adaptation of The Rite of Spring, which transforms Stravinsky’s ballet into an excoriating parable on misogyny, famously premiered in 1975 on a stage covered with a layer of soil. Its latest restaging takes place, instead, on sand – an international collaboration between Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the Pina Bausch Foundation, and the École des Sables of Senegal, the production was scheduled to premiere in Dakar in March. When performances were cancelled due to Covid-19, the troupe of 38 dancers from 14 African countries took the opportunity for a final rehearsal on the beach in Toubab Dialaw at dusk. Captured on film by Florian Heinzen- Ziob, this performance of Bausch’s frantic translation of Stravinsky’s work is available to stream online as part of Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage programme between 1 and 31 July.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here