Why is Sasha Waltz the way she is?
Legacies? Influences? Let's discover the molding of Sasha Waltz:
According to Apollinaire Scherr, "Sasha Waltz’s influences are like her city used to be: divided. On one side is 1930s German expressionism, which also shaped Pina Bausch. On the other is the 'just the facts, ma’am' structuralism of such Americans as Trisha Brown and Yvonne Rainer."
As mentioned in my last blog entry: Sasha began her dance training in Amsterdam in 1983. She later moved to New York City to further her training and begin her choreographic journey. She was very influenced by architecture and visual arts. Large architectural environments and challenges seem to be the center of a lot of her pieces. Her piece Dido and Aeneas (2005) has a giant fish tank as its center piece. See below:
Körper (2000)showcases her use of architectural interests with the space in which the piece is performed: a large concrete room- large enough for a giant black board wall to be placed right in the middle. Körper is a trilogy about the human body: her props used on the human body are very large and structured pieces that seem to make the dance look tiny and almost puppet like in terms of their proportion to the props. These props look like they could be placed in the abstract section of an art museum or even a sculpture garden. Her movement is also very reflective of her architectural influence. Very rigid and structured movements done in synchronized groups imitate columns and rows. See below in the trailer for Körper.
In Continu (2009), Waltz moves away from a large architectural center piece and creates a work, in a space no less large, and the movement no less structured. According to reviewer, Judith Mackrell, of London's The Guardian, "the spectacle [of Continu] is stripped back to the bare essentials of movement, space and music. Yet at its best it is no less vivid with imagery and drama." Mackrell goes on to say that a ballet section of the piece is influenced by Trisha Brown's minimalist style. See the trailer below:
In all of Sasha's 18 pieces, the visual spectacle of the location, props, costumes and number of dancers is present amongst all. Visit The Sasha Waltz and Guests website to explore what she is doing currently! http://www.sashawaltz.de/index.php?lg=en&main=Company&site=03:00:00
Works Cited:
Mackrell, Judith. Sasha Waltz & Guests: Continu – review.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/oct/01/sasha-waltz-guests-continu-review
Scherr, Apollinaire. Sasha Waltz and Guests, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/d0f1fdf0-ec1c-11df-9e11-00144feab49a.html#axzz2M3RzvWIO