Edinburgh International Festival: Two dance shows – one by the legendary Pina Bausch – offer a taste of Brazil

Published on Friday 26 March 2010 18:23

THE death of Pina Bausch in June last year sent shockwaves through the dance theatre community. At 68, she was still a creative force to be reckoned with, and doubtless still had much to offer. Coming, as it did, just five days after she was diagnosed with cancer, Bausch's sudden passing hit her company hard – in particular Peter Pabst, set designer at Germany's Tanztheater Wuppertal for almost 30 years.

For Pabst, losing Bausch was "like an earthquake", bringing an end to what he calls an "exceptionally close artistic relationship".

What she leaves behind, however, is an extraordinary body of work – an example of which is coming to this year's Edinburgh International Festival. Inspired by Bausch's 2001 visit to Brazil, gua is a joyful mix of contemporary dance, text, atmospheric video and downright silliness. Pabst recalls their trip to South America and the inspirations behind gua.

"What inspired me was usually different from what inspired Pina," he says. "She always liked to see people, in any context. Because, as she once said when she was being shown lots of beautiful architecture, 'I cannot dance a building'. For me, it was the amazing climate in Brazil and the diversity of images in nature.

"Somehow it all comes together within you and then, if you're lucky, you manage to give something back as an artist."

Populated with colourful characters, gua also benefits from video footage of swaying palm trees, thundering waterfalls, lively drumming and other aspects of Brazil chosen by Pabst.

"It became clear soon after we arrived in the country that I would use videos in the piece," he says. "Because Brazil is so overwhelming in its beauty, there was a bombardment of images. I always carry a little video camera with me so that when I see something I like, I film it, not knowing what I'll use it for.

"For example, the palm trees in gua, I saw them blowing in the wind and I just thought they looked nice. So I used a mixture of my videos and other images of Brazil I found."

Bausch was notorious for sailing close to the wind, constantly changing her mind, right up until the last minute. To cope with this, Pabst kept his options open for as long as possible. "I usually did five or six different sets for one production of Pina's," he says. "And using videos was like a contradiction in itself, because I would sit in the back and try to edit them while Pina was out front rehearsing.

"And by the time I finished one little piece, she would have changed what she was doing and I had to start from scratch.

"Sometimes the first run through of a show was the dress rehearsal, and then we would take it apart and try again for the opening night."

As with all Bausch's creations, the movement, text and set design in gua are open to many different interpretations. Which is exactly how she liked it. "Pina always refused to give any hint about what she meant in a show," says Pabst. "But that was simply because she didn't want to close doors for the public. We felt they should be allowed to make their own impressions. We would tour the same production to totally different cultural worlds, and the feedback from the audiences was amazing to hear – because they saw and felt so much more than Pina or I could ever have thought."

As Pabst says, it was the people Bausch encountered during her time in Brazil that inspired her – something choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras can identify with. His company Grupo Corpo is also visiting the Festival this year, bringing two works which celebrate the unique relationship between Brazilians and dance. "I think Brazilian people have a special feeling about dance," he says. "And a special way of moving that is very rich to me as a choreographer. In Brazil, dance is a way of life, and the people in each region do a very different kind of dance."

Trained in classical ballet, Pederneiras combines many different influences in his work, from contemporary to African. At times, his jazzy moves are even reminiscent of a Broadway musical. Most of all, Pederneiras' choreography captures the diverse rhythms and styles of his country as evidenced in his two Festival works, the upbeat and celebratory Parabelo and the sleek and sensual Onqot.

Based in Belo Horizonte in South-east Brazil, Pederneiras was looking north when he created Parabelo. "The people in the north-east of Brazil are very poor," he explains. "But the art they produce is really colourful, the music is happy and the dances are exciting. It's a kind of paradox, and that interested me a lot."

Parabelo's set is based on a tradition whereby people pray for loved ones who are ill and, if they get well, a sculpture of the appropriate body part is taken into church as an offering to God. Similarly, if parents hope for a son or daughter to marry, and they do, photographs of the happy couple adorn the church wall. Rodrigo's brother, and Grupo Corpo co-founder, Paulo Pederneiras, used both traditions in his set design, which features images of giant heads and sepia-tinted wedding snaps.

They offer a glimpse into a deeply traditional side of the South American country, sitting comfortably alongside the very modern choreography. Onqot, on the other hand, asks some metaphysical questions about who we are, and this theme is coupled with a celebration of two of Brazil's biggest football teams – Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo and Fuminense.

Does Pederneiras feel the company's Festival double bill captures the true flavour of Grupo Corpo? "Yes, I think so," he says. "Because both Parabelo and Onqot are two very important pieces in our repertoire. We perform many different kinds of works, set to pieces Bach to modern music, but for the company's first visit to Edinburgh I think it's important we have pieces with a Brazilian feeling that show a Brazilian way of life."

&#149 Grupo Corpo is at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Friday 20 August until Monday 23 August. Sponsored by Baillie Gifford & Co

&#149 Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal is at the Playhouse, Friday 27 August until Sunday 29 August.