Prime time Pina

Pina Bausch, Germany's grand dame of modern dance, is returning to Taipei next week with her Tanztheater Wuppertal and tickets to the four-day run at the NationalTheater are as precious as gold.

The entire four-day run of Masurca Fogo, which starts Thursday night, was sold out almost a month ago. That is not so surprising, considering that it has been 10 years since the company was here. They were supposed to come in April 2003 but the engagement was canceled because of the SARS outbreak.

Created for the 1998 World Expo in Lisbon, Portugal, Masurca Fogo is classic Bausch: a mix of dance and theater; seemingly unrelated, often bizarre solos strung together with beautiful group pieces; musings on love, sexual attraction and violence and a set that appears to be downright dangerous for the dancers.

The dancers climb up and down the rock-strewn set, they build a water slide, they construct a house out of pieces of wood and then have a samba party, they pop a dress made out of balloons with cigarettes.

Bausch takes movements from everyday life - walking, running, fighting, bathing, drinking and eating - and turns them into something extraordinary.

The music - Fado songs from Cape Verde and Brazil, compositions by Gidon Kremer and k.d. lang, among others - both drives the piece and help lighten the mood.

Hopefully, Taipei audiences won't have to wait another 10 years for a chance to see the company; either the National Theater or someone will bring the troupe back soon.

However, don't despair if you missed out on getting tickets. Veteran Bausch dancer Dominique Mercy will be conducting a workshop for dancers and students at the National Theater's studio on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. For more information or to register for the workshop, visit the National Theater's Web site at www.ntch.edu.tw. Another option is to go to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, where you can catch Lee Yanor's beautiful documentary Coffee with Pina every weekend at 2pm though Nov. 18.