By Esmee Wright
Vollmond
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch + Terrain Boris Charmatz
Sadler’s Wells
London
One of the most fascinating aspects of Vollmond, one of the last works that Pina Bausch choreographed before her passing in 2009, is its sound. It opens with apparent silence – then you hear the performers swooshing empty bottles and sticks, carving through the air and scooping it up. The soundtrack itself contains music as varied as an avant-garde quartet, Brazilian electronica and Tom Waits. Then there is the intermittent trickle, then downpour of water from the amazing river and rain construction at the back of the stage created by set designer Peter Pabst. These all bring new contrasts to the ritualistic movement of the performers onstage.
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Vollmond handles a common theme in Bausch’s work: the relationships between men and women. This time the violence of the battle between the sexes is somewhat downplayed in favour of the comedy. There are still extremes, such as when one woman desperately apologises when her partner hurts himself while slapping her, but these appear in amongst almost sketch comedy-esque moments, including an over liberal pouring of champagne into an already full glass and a bra-taking-off timed-test. If you’ve never seen a Bausch performance, it is hard to explain how these all work together, but somehow, they do, the repeated acts bringing depth to their own absurdity.
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From these staged moments, the Tanztheater dancers shine in their physicality as ever. Newer dancers particularly, such as Maria Giovanna Delle Donne and Naomi Brito, have amazing stage presence. Brito’s solo, as other members of the cast throw water with force enough to hear the slap of the water against the rock, is a tour-de-force in the writhing power of Bausch’s movement theatre. As ever, if you have the opportunity, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch + Terrain Boris Charmatz company is more than worth watching. 
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