This evening we strolled in the balmy city, sipped beers in the Grand Place, went to the Actors Studio to watch Dancing Dreams, then ate mussels at Chez Léon. All very Bruxellois, and all very enjoyable. The film, a documentary, was good fun and very touching. In 2008, just a few months before she would die of an unspecified cancer, the great German dancer and choreographer decided to reproduce her Kontakthof only, this time, instead of using a professional dance troupe she used a group of teenage volunteers who had never danced before and who didn’t know each other into the bargain. The film, a documentary, follows their progress through rehearsals to the performance, and hence away from inhibitions to self expression and from individualism to team spirit. There’s a lovely trailer here. When asked to express themselves fully, some of the the young dancers-to-be have much to express themselves about;  there is a Romany boy whose family escaped from the Balkan wars, a girl whose grandfather was burnt alive in those same wars, and another girl whose father died in a gas explosion. The collective adulation of these beautiful young people for the slender and dying Bausch is almost tangible. After such a rich life of creativity and artistic experience, what a wonderful way to live out your last days!