Pina Bausch's Classics Return to BAM, Audience Reactions Spark Debate

In 2017, Tanztheater Wuppertal performed Pina Bausch's Café Müller (1978) and The Rite of Spring (1975) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York. The performances showcased the company's excellent health, with Café Müller featuring incredible timing, silences, objects, costumes, and interpreters. However, the New York audience's laughter during psychologically violent scenes—such as the repeated failed embrace and aggressive pushes—surprised and embarrassed observers. After the performance, the dancers appeared somber and almost hostile during applause, openly rejecting the audience's enthusiastic response. The Rite of Spring, performed to loud music with a full young cast, retained its tension and force, with the earth-covered stage becoming a living body. Critic Stefano Tomassini criticized a New York Times dance reviewer for claiming familiarity with Bausch's work through Almodóvar and Wim Wenders, calling it cultural incompetence. Tomassini argued that classics like Bausch's must survive as a bulwark against barbarism, provoking a break from the consolidated world.