Behind the scenes Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring
The evolution of an epic
Explore the making of Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring, following its restaging at École des Sables in Senegal, featuring dancers from 14 African countries.
The astounding international tour filled some of the most famous stages in the world with its trademark peat set, starting in Madrid in 2021, and going via New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, London before its final performances at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in September 2025, 50 years after Pina Bausch created this interpretation of the Stravinsky epic.
This film offers a fascinating insight into this groundbreaking production from the producers, makers, dancers and audience members.
Credits
Film Commissioned and Produced by Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage & Studio
General director, The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées – Baptiste Charroing
Founder, Pina Bausch Foundation – Salomon Bausch
Founder, l’École des Sables – Germaine Acogny
Artistic Director & Co-CEO, Sadler’s Wells – Alistair Spalding
Executive Producer, Sadler’s Wells – Suzanne Walker
Artistic Directors – Josephine Ann Endicott, Jorge Puerta Armenta, Clémentine Deluy
Dancers 2020 – 2025
Rodolphe Allui
Anique Ayiboe
Korotimi Barro
D’Aquin Evrard Élisée Bekoin
Gloria Ugwarelojo Biachi
Khadija Cisse
Sonia Zandile Constable
Rokhaya Coulibaly
Inas Dasylva
Astou Diop
Serge Arthur Dodo
Franne Christie Dossou
Yoro Fallet
Estelle Foli
Alexandre Garcia
Aoufice Junior Gouri
Luciene Kaabral
Zadi Landry Kipre
Manuella Hermine Kouassi
Bazoumana Kouyaté
Profit Lucky
Vuyo Mahashe
Babacar Mané
Vasco Pedro Mirine
Stéphanie Mwamba
Florent Nikiéma
Shelly Ohene-Nyako
Brian Otieno Oloo
Harivola Rakotondrasoa
Oliva Randrianasolo (Nanie)
Asanda Ruda
Tom Jules Samie
Amy Collé Seck
Pacome Landry Seka
Gueassa Eva Sibi
Carmelita Siwa
Armel Gnago Sosso-Ny
Amadou Lamine Sow
Didja Kady Tiemanta
Sahadatou Ami Touré
Aziz Zoundi
Editor – James Hedgecock
Paris Theatre Filming – James Hedgecock
Theatrical Performance footage filmed by TMAX Productions and edited by Florian Heinzen-Ziob
Performance footage on the beach in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal
Director and Editor – Florian Heinzen-Ziob
Cinematographer & Colour Correction – Enno Endlicher
A Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables and Sadler’s Wells production.
Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage
Director of Digital Stage & Studio – Bia Oliveira
Senior Producer & Content Manager – Eithne Kane
Producer – Martina Ryholt
Video & Digital Specialist – Sarah Vaughan-Jones
Digital & Content Officer – Angharad Mainwaring & Ella Murphy-O’Neil
Marketing Consultant – Izzy Madgwick
The Rite of Spring
Choreography – Pina Bausch
Music – Igor Stravinsky
Set and Costume Design – Rolf Borzik
Collaboration – Hans Pop
World Premiere – 3 December 1975, Opera House Wuppertal
The double-bill The Rite of Spring . common ground[s] is a Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables and Sadler’s Wells production
Co-produced with Théâtre de la Ville, Paris; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; Holland Festival, Amsterdam; Festspielhaus, St Pölten; Ludwigsburg Festival; Teatros del Canal de la Comunidad de Madrid, Adelaide Festival and Spoleto Festival dei 2Mondi and kindly supported by the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.
Funded by
German Federal Cultural Foundation
Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia
International Coproduction Fund of the Goethe-Institut
Le Sacre du printemps
Performed by Pierre Boulez and The Cleveland Orchestra
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
Music Courtesy of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Limited
Rehearsal Directors – Çağdaş Ermiş, Ditta Miranda Jasjfi, Barbara Kaufmann, Julie Shanahan, Kenji Takagi
Head of Production / Relighter – Adam Carrée
Production Manager/ Relighter (London) / Company Stage Manager (Paris) – Marius Arnold-Clarke
Stage Manager (London) – Emma Cameron
Company Manager – Laye Kane
Head of Stage – Jeffrey Mitchell
Head of Sound (London) – Dan Harmer
Head of Lighting – Conner Sale (London) / Joe Pilling (Paris)
Wardrobe Manager – Anne-Marie Bigby
Osteopath: Alexandra Haydon
Executive Producer – Suzanne Walker
Tour Producer – Aristea Charalampidou
Senior Producer – Rosalind Wynn
Assistant Producer – Shona Phillips
Head of Media and Communications – Freddie Todd Fordham
Marketing Manager – Natalie Zagaglia
Media Campaign Manager – Sophia Ikirmawi
Marketing and Communications Coordinator – Steven Lou
For full show credits visit The Rite of Spring, an on-screen celebration
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