A Great Master who Taught us about Human Behavior

This week the great Master of observing and analysing human behavior through the Dramatic Art, Pina Bausch, left us. Ms. Bausch had a keen eye for seeing deeply the relationship, at all levels, humans perform on a daily basis. She was quite controversial and confronting at times, and because of that, many people felt uncomfortable at her observations. From the depths of one's sentiment she was able to stage pieces where the best and the worst of our behavior was exposed.

By using the Expressionistic feature of repetion of one movement or an action, Ms. Bausch provoked the audience to really see what went on as we interact with another human being. The evening dresses and formal suits, for the men, were like a trade mark in her performances. The high standards of a dress code also served as an identification of a corporate world that formalizes our social behavior. From the most preposterous situation of throwing water all over the place, as we would do at times, like taking the tie off and running from a boring meeting, to the most lyrical moment of an embrace, we were able to look at ourselves as if in a social mirror.

Not many artists have been able to grasp the inner nature of human behavior as poignantly as Pina Bausch. I will be forever indebted to the lessons I learned from each performance I had the privilege to attend both in New York and in Lisbon. Ms. Bausch was more than an artist who dealt with movement. She was a true anthropologist by exposing human behavior in all social aspects.