Unexpected and warmly welcomed, Pina Bausch‘s Tanztheater Wuppertal. Der Fensterputzer, created while resident in Hong Kong in 1997, exudes the atmosphere of that Asian metropolis. The piece balances between gaiety and vitality, and gentle, relaxed serenity. Subdued Chinese melodies combine with melancholy fado.
The set comprises a gigantic moving mountain of red poppies. Higher up one discerns a window-cleaner, working sky-high and undisturbed like a forgotten angel. The piece ends with a procession in which the dancers walk up and down the mountain over and over again. Life goes on, everywhere in the world. Der Fensterputzer: an encounter with the elemental power of poetry, with a rhythm provided by the grand dame of European dance-theatre.