By doing this, the role of the body is redefined from one in which it disappears into the function of creation and is objectified, as is typical in ballet and most dance, to one in which it becomes the subject of the performance. Each dancer's body tells its own story based on what it has experienced. When asked questions, some respond spontaneously, others contemplate and rehearse. The resulting stories, images, and gestures are sometimes used in the piece. For Bausch, the choreography, stage, sets, space, time, music, speech, costumes and personalities are all integral components and help to communicate something that movements or words alone cannot.
Reviews often go into great detail about the sets, which have become legendary.
Rolf Borzik, stage and costume designer from 1974 until his death in 1980, first set the tone and look of the pieces and was succeeded by Peter Pabst as stage designer. There are many other recurrent themes but none has drawn more attention, at least in the United States, than the frequent depiction of violence, especially against women. Bausch makes clear that she is no champion of violence but that it must be portrayed for the audience to feel the suffering and anger it engenders. She has often been called a feminist but refuses to be labeled as such, and denies that there is any social or political agenda to her works. Other recurring themes are angst, loneliness, alienation, the inability to make human connections, rejection, and the struggle for self-identity.