Program Pina Bausch x Germaine Acogny

This program marks the first collaboration between the Pina Bausch Foundation in Germany, the École des Sables in Senegal and the Sadler’s Wells in the United Kingdom.



Pina Bausch’s seminal work The Rite of Spring (1975) is performed by a cast of dancers from the École des Sables. Faithful to Stravinsky’s composition, this monumental work examines unyielding ritual, with the sacrifice of a "Chosen One" required for the advent of spring.



The first part of the evening is made up of two solos. PHILIPS 836 887 DSY, rarely performed, was created by Pina Bausch in 1971 and is set to the music of French electronic composer Pierre Henry. The title refers to the label and catalogue number of the initial LP release, in 1969, of the 1955 composition Spirale. Though originally performed by Pina Bausch herself, this solo is interpreted by Eva Pageix.

Homage to the Ancestors was created and is performed by Germaine Acogny, often credited as the “Mother of contemporary African dance.” The work merges traditional rituals with contemporary dance in tribute to the artist’s lineage.