When choosing the dances I wanted to compare and contrast, I felt needed to go with thinking outside the box. I chose to compare and contrast The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. I chose this one because I felt they were very different, both choreographers Nijinsky and Pina Bausch did a great job in really telling the story. Nijinsky choreographed the dance in 1913 and Pina Bausch in 1975. Because dance evolved Nijinsky was a part of the Ballet Russes era and Bausch was in the era of modern dance. You can identify the time the dance was created not only by the dance moves, but by the costumes and also the set and storyline. I will be discussing the differences between both choreographers and also similarities in the dances.
First off we have…show more content… Darkness on stage over than a few lights that is somewhat dim. At the beginning you see a female dancer on the floor, which is slowly moving her head, meanwhile female dancers are presented each taking on a different pose, and their movements are light and slow. All the female dancers and in what look like skin color camisoles, that are almost see through. . When the men are introduced they are wearing black pants and are shirtless. Nijinsky’s costumes were a lot more modest than Bausch’s. The costumes lack color compared to Nijinsky’s. The only color that is vibrant is a piece of red material that is tossed between dancers. The choreography is full of technique and ballet movement. Movements are elegant yet very powerful. The other thing I saw or heard with this version, was the noises the dancers were making grasps, sighs and heavy breathing added to the dance. You could see, feel and hear the dancer’s exhaustion. In the scene of sacrifice, where the chosen one is picked out, the women express fear and uncertainty without the use of make-up or masks. In the Bausch version, I felt the story was provocative. In the second act he dancers were almost showing the audience sexual encounters, at a fast rate. I could assume it might have been some of the rituals this group performed. The whole time the chosen girl seems to be terrified until the last moments it is as if she is possessed and