This weekend, dance fans will have an unusual choice when deciding what kind of contemporary dance they want to see. At UC Berkeley, the grande doyenne of European dance-theatre Pina Bausch returns to Zellerbach Hall; and at Dance Mission, trans-maverick Sean Dorsey moves from the margins of queer culture to center stage.
You probably couldn't find two choreographers with more disparate styles. Bausch is non-linear, euro-intellectual and full of abstraction. Dorsey is home-spun and earthy, telegraphing his emotional journeys with clear, easy-to-read road signs. Do you like your contemporary dance with a map, or without?
Bausch presents Ten Chi, a West Coast premiere that was developed in Japan which even Cal Performances director Robert Cole hasn't seen yet. "She's one of those choreographers that won't send out DVDs of their work. You either go to Wuppertal to see it, or you take it sight unseen." Ten Chi was inspired by Bausch's observations of Japan and Japanese culture, and was commissioned by Japanese cultural organizations.
Described as a travelogue, Ten Chi 's scenography was designed by Peter Pabst, and features cherry blossoms and a giant whale fin. Bausch frequently operates as a cultural archeologist, exploring geographical regions and creating works that have trademark vivid imagery and "bittersweet meditations on the human condition." In a similar vein, Bausch came to California in 1997 and created Nur Du (Only You), also a commission presented by Cal Performances.
Finding the relevance in Bausch's work can be challenging for West Coast audiences. It's generally not political, and requires an intellectual investment by the audience. There's no preaching to the choir, it's the viewer's responsibility to sift through the imagery and draw conclusions. If you've never experienced Tanztheater (German dance-theatre), be sure to take this rare opportunity and see why Newsweek has described Bausch as "the queen of modern dance."
Looking at Sean Dorsey's work is like examining the flip side of the same contemporary-dance coin. Largely trained in San Francisco, Dorsey's work reflects the Bay Area's quintessential queer aesthetic in all the best ways. Being a transgendered artist has informed his dances, and he's a choreographer who does his homework. Meticulous and well-crafted, Dorsey's directorial skills outshine his choreographic material. Every piece is a visceral journey that has an emotional payoff. Even though his pieces can be pedantic, you're always on steady ground. The works being presented at Dance Mission, Bullied (2006) and the premiere Lost/Found, show signs of choreographic maturation as Dorsey begins to share his creative process with other artists.
Heavy on text and storytelling, Dorsey is adamant about not being obscure. "Modern dance has a reputation of being cryptic and inaccessible. My goal is to make dances that people can actually understand and relate to. This is why I use storytelling in my work, because it contextualizes dance in deeply felt personal experience. People can instantly grasp narrative and character in a way they can't always with abstract movement."
Lost/Found is Dorsey's examination of masculinity, and incorporates dancers that are trans, queer and straight. What Dorsey discovered was "bringing together such a breadth of male experience, we found remarkable parallels and similarities in our seemingly disparate experiences: insecurities, histories of experiencing violence, stories about everything from love to sex to body hair."
In any case, it's a great weekend for contemporary dance. One way or another, you'll probably end up seeing the world a little differently by Monday.
Pina Bausch at Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Nov. 16-18. Tickets ($34-$76): (510) 642-9988, www.calperformances.net. Sean Dorsey at Dance Mission, 3316 24th St., SF, Nov. 16-18 at 8 p.m. Tickets ($15): (415) 273-4633, www.brownpapertickets.com.