Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: “…como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si…” (Like Moss on a Stone) at Sadler’s Wells

Many people believe that once art is put into the ether, its origins should depart as it stands alone as naked as a newborn baby, ready to be judged by the world. In the case of “…como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si…” (Like Moss on a Stone) at Sadler’s Wells, such a process would turn the performance into an acceptable but bland piece. This final offering of Pina Bausch, a woman who “helped define what dance is and what it does”, according to Sarah Crompton, becomes tragically beautiful when seen with the knowledge that she died after a short battle with cancer only 18 days after its first performance in 2009.

The show itself was born out of a month long trip to Chile, where the dancers who created it were given freedom of the country before returning to the studio. Here, Bausch would ask questions regarding what they had seen whilst travelling. Their answers to those questions more than six years ago are what Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch bring to the stage.

Bausch would never tell anyone with whom she was working how she envisaged a project; instead, she would simply pose questions. “Como el musguito…”  plays a similar role for its audiences, as it evokes plenty of feeling but gives no easy answers.

Since it focuses primarily on dance, there is no real plot to the production. The piece is made up of a multitude of solo performances, which are interspersed with sections involving larger groups. It is in these moments involving more than one person that the power of the piece is found. The immense size of the stage at Saddler’s Wells lends itself to a large group of dancers and when the entire company are manically tearing around, accompanied by panpipes and heavy drumming, the audience is ready to receive whatever message that they individually wish to take.

Jonathan Hutchings

“…como el musguito en la pier, ay si, si, si…” is on at Sadlers Wells from 11^th until 14^th February 2016, for further information, or to book visit here.