Club Amour @ Festival Centre, Adelaide 15/3/2025

Tonight’s performance featured three modern dance pieces: Café Müller, originally created by Pina Bausch in 1978, followed by Aatt enen tionon (1996) and herses, duo (1997), both choreographed by Boris Charmatz.

Café Müller – Pina Bausch’s Enduring Legacy

Pina Bausch, the renowned German dancer and choreographer who passed away in 2009, had a long-standing association with the Adelaide Festival. Since her passing, the company she founded, Tanztheater Wuppertal, has continued that connection. Having previously seen their productions of Nelken (2016) and The Rite of Spring (2022)—both of which I adored—I was eager to experience Café Müller. It did not disappoint.

First performed in Germany in 1978, this modern dance classic remains as compelling today as ever. Set in a dimly lit café, the stage is scattered with tables and chairs as six performers navigate the space—stumbling, sleepwalking, running, and dancing in a dreamlike sequence. Some characters move with apparent purpose, while others appear lost in their own worlds. One figure persistently rearranges chairs to clear a path, yet another performer remains ignored, untouched, and unhelped. The piece is bizarre, darkly humorous, and profoundly moving.

What does it all mean? Interpretations will vary, but to me, Café Müller serves as a microcosm of society, exploring themes of alienation, loneliness, passion, desire, rejection, suspicion, tenderness, disorder, sexual tension, and unrequited love. The emotionally charged performances, coupled with Bausch’s signature blend of theatricality and raw movement, make for an unforgettable experience.

Stepping Into Charmatz’s World

After the interval, the audience was invited onto the vast Festival Theatre stage to witness the next two performances, both choreographed by Boris Charmatz—who now serves as the artistic director of Tanztheater Wuppertal.

Aatt enen tionon – Physical Intensity and Isolation

The first of the two, Aatt enen tionon (translated loosely as “Attention” or “Look” in French), takes place on three stacked square platforms resembling stylized boxing rings. The space is lit by three floating globes, casting shifting pools of light.

When the audience enters, three performers (one female, two male) are already on their own level , stretching and warming up as if preparing for a fight. PJ Harvey’s music plays in the background, setting an intense yet intimate tone. When the music stops after two songs, the performance begins. The dancers strip down to just white T-shirts and commence a visceral, physically demanding sequence—writhing, colliding, and slamming their bodies onto the platforms. At times, the lighting dims, leaving some performers in partial darkness. External sounds and fragmented music intermittently interrupt, influencing the dancers’ movements.

Like Café Müller, the meaning is open to interpretation. To me, the piece suggests themes of isolation and synchronicity—how we sometimes exist in our own worlds but occasionally fall into rhythm with others. It was both stunning and unsettling, a masterclass in tension and release.

herses, duo – An Intimate and Challenging Finale

The final piece, herses, duo, is an excerpt from Charmatz’s longer work herses (une lente introduction). This performance was particularly striking, as Charmatz himself reprised his original 1997 role alongside dancer Johanna Elisa Lemke.

Completely nude, the two performers walked into the centre of the stage, encircled by the audience. What followed was a mesmerising display of physical connection and control—wrestling, supporting, carrying, and stepping over each other in a continuous flow. The music was discordant and the performers were not in time to it. Their movements were seamless, at times making it difficult to distinguish one body from the other. Toward the end, they drifted apart, each occupying a different part of the space.

What does it all mean? This time, I’m not sure. But the sheer physicality and vulnerability of the performance were captivating. The way their bodies intertwined, their movements oscillating between struggle and tenderness, left a profound impact.

A Triumph for the Adelaide Festival

This was an outstanding choice by the Adelaide Festival, and I hope to see more Tanztheater Wuppertal productions in the future.

Interestingly, Australian performer and director Meryl Tankard, who was part of the original Café Müller cast alongside Pina Bausch, recently staged Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78—a work inspired by Bausch’s Kontakthof, which was performed at the 1982 Adelaide Festival. Bringing Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78 to a future Adelaide Festival would be a perfect homage to this rich legacy.

Adelaide Festival Review By Richard De Pizzol

For tickets and info to Club Amour head to the Adelaide Festival…