Pina Bausch
Biography
Pina Bausch
Born in 1940 into a publican family in Solingen, she discovered her love of dance at an early age and joined children’s ballet classes where her talent was recognised. In 1955 she began a professional dance education at the Folkwang School in Essen, led by Kurt Jooss, a pioneer of the revolutionary 1920s/30s German movement Ausdruckstanz (‘expressive dance’), completing the course in 1959. The most important values she took from her work with Jooss were ‘honesty and precision’, as she later put it: honesty in approaching reality and precision in developing form. After two years in New York, initially with a scholarship for the renowned Juilliard School of Music, then as a dancer at the New American Ballet and at the Metropolitan Opera House Ballet, she returned to Essen in 1962 on Jooss’ request as a soloist at the newly founded Folkwang Dance Studio. Here she worked with Jooss, Antony Tudor, Lucas Hoving, Hans Züllig and above all Jean Cébron. At the end of the 1960s she gained attention with her first choreographies, including Im Wind der Zeit (‘in the wind of time’), for which she won first prize in the Cologne choreography competition.
Wuppertal
It was Arno Wüstenhöfer, the new director of the Wuppertaler Bühnen (Wuppertal’s combined municipal performing arts venues), who hired Pina Bausch as choreographer there, starting in the 1973/74 season. The times had changed. The new Regietheater (direction-orientated rather than text-based theatre) in Germany had altered expectations of dance too. It needed to be closer to real life, to develop new forms. Pina Bausch changed the name of her ensemble from ‘ballet’ to ‘Tanztheater’ (‘dance theatre’). The clue was in the title. She tested out every possible genre, called her pieces ‘dance opera’, ‘revue’, even ‘operetta’ and began combining means of expression from both dance and theatre. Her choreographic language was unequivocal, clear. Together with her life partner Rolf Borzik, who created the costumes and sets until his death in 1980, she created a new aesthetic. Later she continued this work with Peter Pabst (sets) and Marion Cito (costumes). Together with her musical colleagues Matthias Burkert and Andreas Eisenschneider she continually sought out new, unusual music for her freely collaged pieces, which used poetic images and dances to address the fears and desires which drive human beings. The search for love, affinity and security became a central motif of her oeuvre, for which she developed new working methods. She asked her dancers questions, 800 to 1000 during the research and development on each piece, and out of 40 to 50 of the answers she composed her highly emotional, moving excursions into the inner realms of desire. Here too, she was to rewrite dance history.
By the time of her death, in 2009, she had created over 50 works and achieved world recognition for her art. Despite criticism at the start, she succeeded in establishing dance theatre as a new genre, influencing the development of dance internationally. She was awarded the greatest prizes and honours worldwide for her revolutionary redefinition of dance. Few other twentieth century choreographers were able to open up new freedoms for dance as she did, liberating it from its shackles with ‘superficial beauty’ and leading it towards real life. Her ground-breaking style remains influential to this day.
Text by Norbert Servos
Translated by Steph Morris
Gallery
Portrait of Pina Bausch
Photo: Ulli Weiss © Pina Bausch Foundation
Premieres
Piece | Girl in the big City |
Venue | Germany |
Piece | Fragment |
Date | 5 July 1967 |
Venue | Folkwang Hochschule Essen Essen Germany |
Dance | Erika Fabry |
Hans Pop | |
Hiltrud Blanck | |
Jonathan Thorpe | |
Michael Diekamp | |
Pina Bausch | |
Veronika Hoffmann-Strobel |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Im Wind der Zeit |
Date | 21 June 1968 |
Venue | Folkwang Hochschule Essen Essen Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Nachnull (After Zero) |
Date | 8 January 1970 |
Venue | Munich Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Aktionen für Tänzer |
Date | 12 June 1971 |
Venue | Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | PHILIPS 836 885 DSY |
Date | 31 July 1971 |
Venue | Connecticut College New London USA |
Dance | Pina Bausch |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Wiegenlied |
Date | 12 December 1972 |
Venue | Folkwang Hochschule Essen Essen Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Fritz |
Date | 5 January 1974 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Choreografische Assistenz | Hans Pop |
Dance | Carlos Orta |
Catherine Denisot | |
Charlotte Butler | |
Dominique Mercy | |
Ed Kortlandt | |
Gabriel Sala | |
Heinz Samm | |
Jan Minařík | |
John Giffin | |
João Penalva | |
Malou Airaudo | |
Marlis Alt | |
Monika Sagon | |
Monika Wacker | |
Riitta Laurikainen | |
Tjitske Broersma | |
Vivienne Newport | |
Wolf-Werner Wolf | |
Stagehand | Helmut Kühne |
Lighting | Hans-Joachim Deinert |
Make-up | Heinz Dildey |
Sound | Horst Kersten |
Artistic director | Pina Bausch |
Ballet master | Hans-Dieter Klos |
Repetition | Werner Precht |
Technical direction | Rolf Bachmann |
Stage manager | Werner Hartkopf |
Source of cast | Evening leaflet for “Fritz” by Pina Bausch, “Rodeo” by Agnes de Mille and “The green Table” by Kurt Jooss in in Wuppertal, Jan. 5, 1974 |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Iphigenie auf Tauris |
Date | 21 April 1974 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Zwei Krawatten |
Date | 31 May 1974 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | I'll Do You In… |
Date | 8 December 1974 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Adagio – Five Songs By Gustav Mahler |
Date | 8 December 1974 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Fliegenflittchen |
Date | 21 March 1975 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Orpheus und Eurydike |
Date | 23 May 1975 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | The Rite of Spring |
Date | 3 December 1975 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Wind From West |
Date | 3 December 1975 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | The Second Spring |
Date | 3 December 1975 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Dance | Colleen Finneran-Meessmann |
Jan Minařík | |
Josephine Ann Endicott | |
Marlis Alt | |
Michael Diekamp | |
Vivienne Newport | |
Stagehand | Paul Aron |
Lighting | Hans-Joachim Deinert |
Make-up | Heinz Dildey |
Sound | Horst Kersten |
Ballet master | Hans-Dieter Klos |
Ballettkorrepetition | Werner Precht |
Technical direction | Rolf Bachmann |
Stage manager | Herbert Görsch |
Source of cast | Evening leaflet for “The Rite of Spring”, “Wind From West” and “The Second Spring” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 3, 1975 |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | The Seven Deadly Sins |
Date | 15 June 1976 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Bluebeard. While Listening to a Tape Recording of Béla Bartók's Opera "Duke Bluebeard's Castle" |
Date | 8 January 1977 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Come Dance With Me |
Date | 26 May 1977 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Costume assistant | Ortrud Himmelreich |
Dance | Anne Marie Benati |
Arnaldo Alvarez | |
Barbara Passow | |
Colleen Finneran-Meessmann | |
Ed Kortlandt | |
Elisabeth Clarke | |
Esco Edmondson | |
Fernando Cortizo | |
Gisbert Rüschkamp | |
Guy Detot | |
Hans Pop | |
Heinz Samm | |
Hiltrud Blanck | |
Jan Minařík | |
John Giffin | |
Josephine Ann Endicott | |
Luis P. Layag | |
Mari Di Lena | |
Marion Cito | |
Monika Sagon | |
Monika Wacker | |
Tjitske Broersma | |
Vivienne Newport | |
Yolanda Meier | |
Stagehand | Paul Aron |
Lighting | Hans-Joachim Deinert |
Make-up | Heinz Dildey |
Sound | Horst Kersten |
Ballet master | Egbert Strolka |
Ballettkorrepetition | Werner Precht |
Technical direction | Rolf Bachmann |
Workshop management | Leo Haase |
Stage manager | Herbert Görsch |
Props | Günther Fränzel |
Source of cast | Evening leaflet for “Come Dance With Me” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, May 26, 1977 |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Renate wandert aus (Renate emigrates) |
Date | 30 December 1977 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | He Takes Her By The Hand And Leads Her Into The Castle, The Others Follow |
Date | 22 April 1978 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Bochum Bochum Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Café Müller |
Date | 20 May 1978 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Dance | Dominique Mercy |
Jan Minařík | |
Malou Airaudo | |
Meryl Tankard | |
Stagehand | Josef Lindler |
Lighting | Hans-Joachim Deinert |
Make-up | Heinz Dildey |
Sound | Klaus Grimm |
Wardrobe supervisor | Ortrud Himmelreich |
Ballet master | Egbert Strolka |
Jean Cébron | |
Ballettkorrepetition | Christoph Haas |
Werner Precht | |
Technical direction | Rolf Bachmann |
Workshop management | Leo Haase |
Stage manager | Herbert Görsch |
Props | Günther Fränzel |
Source of cast | Evening leaflet for “Café Müller” by Pina Bausch, “Café Müller” by Gerhard Bohner, “Café Müller” by Gigi-Georghe Caciuléanu and “Café Müller” by Hans Pop in in Wuppertal, May 20, 1978 |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Kontakthof |
Date | 9 December 1978 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Arien |
Date | 12 May 1979 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Dance | Anne Marie Benati |
Anne Martin | |
Arnaldo Alvarez | |
Arthur Rosenfeld | |
Beatrice Libonati | |
Christian Trouillas | |
Ed Kortlandt | |
Elisabeth Clarke | |
Fernando Cortizo | |
Gary Austin Crocker | |
Heinz Samm | |
Jan Minařík | |
John Giffin | |
Josephine Ann Endicott | |
Lutz Förster | |
Mari Di Lena | |
Marion Cito | |
Meryl Tankard | |
Monika Sagon | |
Monika Wacker | |
Silvia Kesselheim | |
Vivienne Newport | |
Stagehand | Josef Lindler |
Lighting | Hans-Joachim Deinert |
Make-up | Heinz Dildey |
Sound | Horst Kersten |
Klaus Grimm | |
Ballet master | Egbert Strolka |
Jean Cébron | |
Ballettkorrepetition | Werner Precht |
Technical direction | Rolf Bachmann |
Leitung Kostüm | Renate Eichberg |
Workshop management | Leo Haase |
Stage manager | Herbert Görsch |
Props | Günther Fränzel |
Source of cast | Evening leaflet for “Arien” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, May 12, 1979 |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Keuschheitslegende (Legend of Chastity) |
Date | 13 December 1979 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | 1980 – A Piece by Pina Bausch |
Date | 18 May 1980 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Set design assistant | Gerda Raichle |
Dance | Anne Marie Benati |
Anne Martin | |
Arthur Rosenfeld | |
Beatrice Libonati | |
Ed Kortlandt | |
Hans Dieter Knebel | |
Heide Tegeder | |
Isabel Ribas Serra | |
Jan Minařík | |
Janusz Subicz | |
Jean Laurent Sasportes | |
Josephine Ann Endicott | |
Lutz Förster | |
Malou Airaudo | |
Mechthild Großmann | |
Meryl Tankard | |
Nazareth Panadero | |
Vivienne Newport | |
Musician | Arthur Sockel |
Matthias Burkert | |
Special performer | Hans Günter Witt |
Stagehand | Heinz Czyganowski |
Lighting | Siegfried Schuchmann |
Make-up | Heinz Dildey |
Sound | Helmut Schoth |
Ballet master | Dominique Mercy |
Jean Cébron | |
Technical direction | Rolf Bachmann |
Leitung Kostüm | Renate Eichberg |
Workshop management | Leo Haase |
Stage manager | Peter Lütke |
Props | Gerd Klann |
Sportler:in | Max Walther |
Source of cast | Evening leaflet for “1980 – A Piece by Pina Bausch” by Pina Bausch with Tanztheater Wuppertal in in Wuppertal, May 18, 1980 |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Bandoneon |
Date | 21 December 1980 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Walzer |
Date | 17 June 1982 |
Venue | Koninklijk Theater Carré Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Nelken (Carnations) |
Date | 30 December 1982 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört (On the Mountain a Cry was heard) |
Date | 13 May 1984 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Two Cigarettes in the Dark |
Date | 31 March 1985 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Dance | Bénédicte Billiet |
Dominique Duszynski | |
Dominique Mercy | |
Francis Viet | |
Héléna Pikon | |
Jakob Haahr Andersen | |
Jan Minařík | |
Jean-François Duroure | |
Josephine Ann Endicott | |
Kyomi Ichida | |
Actor | Mechthild Großmann |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Viktor |
Date | 14 May 1986 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Ahnen |
Date | 21 March 1987 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Palermo Palermo |
Date | 17 December 1989 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Tanzabend II |
Date | 27 April 1991 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Das Stück mit dem Schiff (The Piece with the Ship) |
Date | 16 January 1993 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Ein Trauerspiel |
Date | 12 February 1994 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Danzón |
Date | 13 May 1995 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Dance | Aida Vainieri |
Andrey Berezin | |
Antonio Carallo | |
Barbara Kaufmann | |
Cristiana Morganti | |
Daphnis Kokkinos | |
Dominique Mercy | |
Jan Minařík | |
Marigia Maggipinto | |
Regina Advento | |
Actor | Mechthild Großmann |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Nur Du (Only You) |
Date | 11 May 1996 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Der Fensterputzer (The Window Washer) |
Date | 12 February 1997 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Masurca Fogo |
Date | 4 April 1998 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Bluebeard's Castle |
Date | 25 July 1998 |
Venue | Théâtre de l'Archevêché Aix-en-Provence France |
Dance | Andrey Berezin |
Dominique Mercy | |
Fernando Suels Mendoza | |
Jan Minařík | |
Josephine Ann Endicott | |
Julie Shanahan | |
Marlis Alt | |
Rainer Behr | |
Raphaëlle Delaunay | |
Singer | Laszló Polgár |
Violeta Urmana |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | O Dido |
Date | 10 April 1999 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Kontakthof. With Ladies and Gentlemen over 65' |
Date | 25 February 2000 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Wiesenland |
Date | 5 May 2000 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Água |
Date | 12 May 2001 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | For the Children of yesterday, today and tomorrow |
Date | 25 April 2002 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Nefés |
Date | 21 March 2003 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Ten Chi |
Date | 8 May 2004 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Rough Cut |
Date | 15 April 2005 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Vollmond (Full Moon) |
Date | 11 May 2006 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Bamboo Blues |
Date | 18 May 2007 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | 'Sweet Mambo' |
Date | 30 May 2008 |
Venue | Schauspielhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Dance | Aida Vainieri |
Andrey Berezin | |
Daphnis Kokkinos | |
Héléna Pikon | |
Julie Anne Stanzak | |
Julie Shanahan | |
Michael Strecker | |
Nazareth Panadero | |
Regina Advento |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | Kontakthof. With Teenagers over 14 |
Date | 7 November 2008 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |
Piece | "... como el musguito en la piedra, ay si, si, si ..." (Like Moss on the Stone) |
Date | 12 June 2009 |
Venue | Opernhaus Wuppertal Wuppertal Germany |
Discover photos, videos and more in the archives | Browse the archives |