Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Vollmond is another fat slice of the familiar Pina Bausch sausage. But such a delicious sausage. Gorgeous to look at and generously interlarded with meaty morsels of pure dance, the piece by the German choreographer is installed at Sadler’s Wells for an eight-show run.The sense of déjà vu kicks in after only a few minutes: shouty vamps in bias-cut satin; fumbling wimps; slap-happy abusers; balloons blown to bursting; a never-ending game of kiss-chase with unfathomable house rules. There is the usual sketch-show flow to the episodic two-hour narrative with constant running gags and overlapping vignettes that sidestep the need for punchline or resolution (when in doubt: exit screaming).Vollmond is larky, late-period Bausch made in 2006, three years before her sudden death. Her shell-shocked company went through a rough patch in the aftermath, performing new acquisitions that tried (and spectacularly failed) to emulate her working practice, demonstrating that it wasn’t nearly as easy as it looked to shuffle and deal the well-loved Tanztheater tropes.Since 2022 the Wuppertal company has been led by its sixth director, the French “non-dance” advocate Boris Charmatz, who added his company name, Terrain, to the logo. His programming accords with the wishes of the Pina Bausch Foundation, cannily combining a bankable selection of Bausch’s greatest hits with his own creations.From 1980 onwards Bausch’s productions were characterised — some might say redeemed — by high-concept sets from designer Peter Pabst. Nelken (1982) had its 8,000 carnations, Ahnen (1987) had 50 cactuses, Nur Du (1996) had giant redwood trees and Vollmond has a massive boulder, an upstage pond and showers of soft, refreshing rain. This design, which arrived late in the rehearsal process, gives rise to a great deal of what kindergarten teachers call “wet play” and creates exquisite stage pictures. After a good soaking, Marion Cito’s trademark silks cling to the women’s skin like the molten gowns on a Chiparus bronze. Dancers squirt mouthfuls at each other or fling a wine glass of water into the air, then rush to catch the falling droplets. The four-inch puddle enables them to slip-slide or even “swim” from wing to wing. A toss of the head flings up thousands of droplets in a joyous arc, all magically crystallised by Pabst’s glancing sidelights. Bausch created her works in collaboration with her dancers, usually by means of her famous questions — the question in this case being, “What are you going to do with this water?” Vollmond’s original cast live on in the running gags and surrealist crosstalk — you can almost hear former Tanztheater dancer Nazareth Panadero growling her one-liners — and there is a danger that a replacement cast will merely be a tracing of the original, although this is unlikely to bother first-timers. There were only two 2006 veterans among last Friday’s line-up (Julie Anne Stanzak and Ditta Miranda Jasjfi), but the newer faces were suitably idiosyncratic. Sadler’s Wells’ printed programme doesn’t bother with biographies or even head shots for Vollmond’s tireless 14 dancers, but a quick rummage on the Wuppertal website reveals that it was Dean Biosca and Nicholas Losada making the most of their all-too-brief solos, ensuring that Bausch’s piece lives again.★★★★☆To February 23, sadlerswells.com
