Vollmond is one of the later works by the magician of Wuppertal and shows Pina Bausch in an ever more sensual mode. The full moon imparts a contemplative mood suggesting phantoms and dreams as fauns and nymphs are at play, flirting with their innermost desires. The work stands as a landscape featuring a rock and a romantic pond where Vollmond can bathe in sublime atmospheres beneath gentle rain and heavy downpours. Water permeates movements, costumes and the visual features of the sets designed by Peter Pabst. In the midst of such works of art in their own right, Pina Bausch has set a series of portraits in dance with emotional force increasing in each one, rediscovering the pleasure of a wide-ranging, generous dance. Women are no longer objects of prey, and men regain their confidence in a warm, jubilant celebration experiencing their midsummer night’s dream.

Thomas Hahn