The choreographer who revolutionized modern dance, Pina Bausch, is the focus of Beykoz Kundura’s International Dance Day celebrations this year. Screening on April 29 and 30 at Kundura Sinema as part of the program “For the Love of Dance: Pina Bausch”, the documentary “Dancing Pina” celebrates the art of the legendary dancer and the people who interpret her work today.

Directed by Florian Heinzen-Ziob, the 2022 film pursues the question of what remains of Bausch’s legacy, offering a visually intense and emotional look at the world of modern dance and beyond.

Telling the story of how young dancers from around the world rediscover Pina’s unique choreographic style, the film follows two dance projects in Europe and Africa: one at the venerable Semperoper in Dresden, Germany, and one at the École des Sables in a fishing village near Dakar, Senegal. The young dancers are guided by former members of Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater company. But Pina is not someone who can simply be copied.

The dancers have to relive Pina’s choreographies through their own bodies and their own stories. Like Sanguen Lee from South Korea, who was considered too tall to be a dancer. Or Gloria Ugwarelojo Biachi from Nigeria, who uses dance to represent her struggle for equality… Or Julian Amir Lacey from the US, who has had to overcome homophobic prejudice…

The film creates a captivating metamorphosis: as performers of street dance, classical ballet, and traditional and contemporary African dance forms transform Pina’s works, Pina’s choreographies transform the dancers in turn.

Interviews with dancers and choreographers, clips from the original productions and a modern perspective bring Pina Bausch and her genius back to life. And throughout the film her spirit hovers over the dancers, asking: How would you dance if you knew you were going to die?

Enhanced by stunning footage on stage and especially in the town of Toubab Dialaw on the coast of Senegal, the film takes us on a journey full of fascinating insights into the dancers’ lives and the expressive power of movement.

You can watch Dancing Pina as part of the “For the Love of Dance: Pina Bausch” program at Kundura Sinema on April 29 and 30, 2023.