DanceHouse is thrilled to present Pina Bausch’s stunning interpretation of The Rite of Spring (1975), performed by a specially assembled company and produced by the Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables and Sadler’s Wells. Faithful to Stravinsky’s composition, this seminal work examines the power of ritual and sacrifice, as a young woman is chosen to mark the changing seasons.

In this stunning film, Pina Bausch’s iconic choreography for The Rite of Spring takes place in an extraordinary setting, on a remote beach near Toubab Dialaw, Senegal. Created as the world descended into pandemic lockdown, the performance captures the final rehearsal of 38 dancers from 14 different African nations. In addition to offering a rare opportunity to watch one of the world’s greatest dance works, the performance documents a singular moment in time, as the performers gathered in preparation for an international tour.

Before the performance, there will be a pre-show documentary of the history of The Rite of Spring by Valérie Lessard, dance history specialist. The presentation will be followed by the screening of a short making of film as well as an interview with founder of École des Sables Germaine Acogny as well as Jorge Puerta Armenta, former member of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch company and re-stager of The Rite of Spring at Ecole des Sables.

This project is an initiative of Danse Danse (Montreal) in collaboration with Canadian Stage (Toronto), DanceHouse (Vancouver), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Springboard (Calgary).