Using one form of art – film – to celebrate one’s achievements in another art form – dance, Pina 3D is truly a unique tribute to the late Pina Bausch. Pina was a German performer, choreographer, teacher and director of modern dance, who practiced Tanztheater, a style of ‘dance theatre’ which blends in movements, sounds and elaborate stage sets. She was often seen working closely with the performers during the composition of a piece. In the film, audiences learn more about Pina through interviews from her collaborators and experience some of her most famous works: Café Müller (1978), Rite of Spring (1975), and Contact Zone (1978), all in 3D!
Director Wim Wenders’s film work is astonishing. As audiences, we are brought up close and next to performers as they perform on stage as though we are also part of the dance troupe. In other pieces, we are taken to random outdoor places around Germany, a huge contrast to the confined space of a stage. The bird’s eye view of a dancer lying on a stage that is completely covered in brown soil is also worth noting. Scenes from past and present stage performances intermingled with archival footages of Pina and mixed with documentary-style interviews of the collaborators, presented in a three-dimensional cinematic technique, surely provide audiences with a mind-blowing experience.
Athena Wong
Pina 3D (Pina Ein Tanzfilm in 3D)
Germany/France/UK, 2011
Dir: Wim Wenders