The most controversial dancer/choreographer of her era was Pina Bausch (born 1940). She created the Theatertanz, an approach to dance expression, which became a trend.

Born July 27, 1940, in the industrial city of Solingen in Germany, Pina Bausch once said, "I am no one's pupil." She began her studies at the age of 14 under the direction of Kurt Jooss at the Folkwang School, from which she graduated in 1959. Jooss was one of the most outstanding teachers and choreographers of the pre-Hitler period, a liberal mind, as demonstrated by his work The Green Table, an antiwar memorial. His spirit must have greatly influenced Bausch's development.

The second great influence came from the city of New York where she landed at the age of 19. She was one of few German dance students to go abroad on an academic scholarship and came to New York through the German American Exchange Program for...