Bausch has been reviewed many times in many different publications during her choreographic career; and when it comes to her work, they all seem to agree on one thing: it's unique, and it's visionary. One New York Times article described her as "the most deliberately vague of artists"
Photograph from Bausch's 1982 piece, Nelken (Carnations).
and most of her works as deliberately incoherent "dreamscapes". Another scholarly article described her company as "gestural and verbal, using sounds, silence, volume, rhythms, music, space and light to create an original stage form and give life to her aggressively realistic vision of contemporary society". She was a leading figure in the dance and theater world, and I believe it was the combination of these two that made her work so unique. She collaborated with designers Peter Pabst and Rolf Borzik to make every piece a "monumental visual metaphor" (Dance Magazine, 2009). She has forever changed the landscape of dance and obliterated the boundaries of performance art.
For some reason the phrase "deliberately incoherent dreamscapes," really sticks out to me. I think it is really fitting to relate a dance to a dream, because the moment is fleeting, yet it usually has some form of abstract meaning. It is also interesting that one performance can have so many different meanings, for many different people. I respect Bausch's creativity and courage to be "vague," because it's rare quality. Great Job, Miss Mollie!
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