Legacy and Memory at the Venice Biennale Danza

The 2020 Venice Biennale Danza featured two distinct approaches to artistic legacy. An unreleased 1987 film by Pina Bausch, titled "AHNEN ahnen," was discovered in her archive by her son and screened. The film captures the intimate, unseen time of rehearsals, focusing on dancers' faces and backstage moments, without narrative or celebration. Bausch appears only briefly. Separately, Jone San Martín, a former dancer for William Forsythe, presented her 2014 solo "Legítimo / Rezo." The piece involves a tedious speech invoking Forsythe, audience participation, and a melancholic, didactic exploration of legacy. In contrast, Frédéric Tavernini performed "Portrait de Frédéric Tavernini" (2019) by Noé Soulier, with piano accompaniment by the choreographer playing a playlist by Matteo Fargion. Tavernini's body acts as an archive of past choreographic works, expressed through movement and even his twelve tattoos, without explanation or homage. Soulier cites Saint Augustine on signs resembling the things they signify.