Pina Bausch

In my job at The Washington Post, I'm occasionally able to put both of my GW majors--dance and journalism--to work at the same time.

Yesterday was one of those days, when news broke that groundbreaking German choreographer Pina Bausch had passed away. For many famous people, obituaries are written in advance of their death to avoid a scramble when it does eventually happen. However, the Post had nothing prepared for Bausch. While I've written performances reviews for the Style section and a performance preview for the Weekend section, I had never written a choreographer's obituary before (or any obituary, for that matter!). It was a great challenge. I had to delve into her biography and boil it down, identifying the most important aspects of her character and her work to highlight...and I only had a single afternoon to do it.

As soon as I found out I'd be tackling the story, I can honestly say a couple of my experiences at GW immediately lept to mind! I remembered talking about Bausch's company Tanztheater Wuppertal in Mary Buckley's Dance History class. We talked about the "tanztheater" style and the Ausdruckstanz movement that preceded and influenced it. I remember Maida Withers describing and fondly recalling Bausch's "Rite of Spring" in our Trends in Performance Art class. Without a doubt, my experience in those classes helped me put Bausch's career and her contributions to the field in context. I don't think I could've done this piece without them! –Sarah Halzack

To check out the final product, click here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/30/AR2009063003986.html