On June 30, 2009, German choreographer Pina Bausch died very suddenly. News of her death spread rapidly all around the world and artists everywhere profoundly felt the loss.

I was home working in my garden when I got the call, first from Annette and then Erika who had both just returned from visiting family in Germany − two friends who knew the impact this passage would have on me. Almost immediately, I began thinking about developing a performance acknowledging Pina’s huge influence, not only on the art world but on my own sensibilities.

To design a suitable tribute, my nonprofit Cradle to Grave Arts once again joined forces with the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts as presenting partner, and 34 technically proficient dancers who make northwestern Vermont their home are the ensemble. Of those 34 dancers, one met Pina Bausch in college and several saw her work, as did I.

My two choreographic partners − Amy LePage and Hanna Satterlee − and I began work on site this summer and are well on our way to creating Dear Pina, a dance/ theatre piece to be performed June 2012 at Shelburne Farm’s Breeding Barn − a vast, dirt-floor space in keeping with the grand scale of the work of this radical artist.