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Information

1976 to 1978

engaged by Gigi-Gheorghe Caciuleanu at the Grand Théâtre in Nancy (France)

1978 to 1991

engaged at Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch


Biography

Anne Martin

was born in Rolle, Switzerland, in 1953 and studied music from 1969 to 1973 at the Conservatoire de Lausanne (piano with Denise Bidal) as well as ballet with Philippe Dahlmann. In 1973 she began a three-year dance degree at Rosella Hightower’s Centre international de danse in Cannes. Her first work as a dancer was from 1976 to 1978 with Gigi-Gheorghe Caciuléanu at the Grand Théâtre in Nancy. When she first saw the work of Pina Bausch she immediately felt at home. In 1978 Pina Bausch invited her to join the company in Wuppertal.

A keen eye

Like most new members, she first learned the repertoire; Kontakthof was to be the first production where Anne Martin was part of the creative process. She dived headlong into the work. Much of the time she didn’t give too much thought to what she was doing, and to her surprise it ended up in the pieces. She liked the way you could be yourself in Tanztheater, but ‘within a larger context,’ as she puts it. Under the keen eye of Pina Bausch, and her personal and professional partner Rolf Borzik, you couldn’t lie – but you didn’t have to anyway. Thus a lot was devised spontaneously, arising out of the instant, precisely when you weren’t thinking about it. It was always about a moment of truth. Between then and 1991 Anne Martin contributed to many other premieres: Arien (Arias), Keuschheitslegende (Legend of Chastity), 1980 – A Piece by Pina Bausch, Bandoneon, Nelken (Carnations), Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört (On the mountain a cry was heard), Viktor, Ahnen as well as the film Die Klage der Kaiserin (The Empress’ Lament). In 1981 she took Pina Bausch’s role in Café Müller. Martin repeatedly left her mark through quiet, gentle moments such as when she just stood there in a sleeveless dress, apparently without arms – smiling. Or when she stood for several minutes dressed only in underpants with an accordion strapped to her – and didn’t play a note. Or when she danced a self-engrossed solo – with only a garden sprinkler for a partner. Quietness otherwise dominated.

Dancer and musician

During her years based in Wuppertal she began collecting music on the extensive tours and from the mid-1980s she also began freelance work. She created two productions with the double bass players Joëlle Léandre and Peter Kowald. She devoted herself to the accordion, gave solo concerts of traditional Sicilian, Corsican and French songs in Germany, France and Italy. After she left the Tanztheater Wuppertal she trained her voice with Dorothea Hackenberg and Benoît Amy de la Bretèque. She appeared at international festivals with her programme of songs and contributed to choreographies by artists such as Raimund Hoghe, Malou Airaudo and Michel Kelemenis as both singer and dancer. She also regularly choreographed for theatre and opera productions. From 2003 to 2020 she was lecturer in modern dance at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and created pieces with her students. She has taught as a guest lecturer at the Conservatoire de Montpelier, the Marburg Summer Academy, at Pomona College, University of Claremont, California, and the Californian art school CalArts, as well as the Ménagerie de verre in Paris.

Text by Norbert Servos
Translated by Steph Morris


Gallery



Premieres

Season 1978/79

PieceKontakthof
Date9 December 1978
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne 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
Luis P. Layag
Lutz Förster
Mari Di Lena
Meryl Tankard
Monika Sagon
Silvia Kesselheim
Vivienne Newport
StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Klaus Grimm
Ballet masterEgbert Strolka
Jean Cébron
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Leitung KostümRenate Eichberg
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Kontakthof” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 9, 1978
Evening leaflet for “Kontakthof” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 9, 1978
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Season 1978/79

PieceArien
Date12 May 1979
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne 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
StagehandJosef Lindler
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Klaus Grimm
Ballet masterEgbert Strolka
Jean Cébron
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Leitung KostümRenate Eichberg
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Arien” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, May 12, 1979
Discover photos, videos and more in the archivesBrowse the archives
Season 1979/80

PieceKeuschheitslegende (Legend of Chastity)
Date13 December 1979
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Anne Martin
Arthur Rosenfeld
Beatrice Libonati
Christian Trouillas
Dominique Mercy
Ed Kortlandt
Heide Tegeder
Héléna Pikon
Jan Minařík
Janusz Subicz
Jean Laurent Sasportes
Josephine Ann Endicott
Lutz Förster
Malou Airaudo
Meryl Tankard
Nazareth Panadero
Urs Kaufmann
Vivienne Newport
ActorHans Dieter Knebel
Mechthild Großmann
MusicianMatthias Burkert

piano

ExtraFrank Herfeld

crocodile

Frank Nettesheim

crocodile

Jürgen Koch

crocodile

Klaus Kostka

crocodile

Roman Rohde

crocodile

Ulrich Huppach

crocodile

Werner Simon

crocodile

Wolfgang Weiß

crocodile

StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Klaus Grimm
Ballet masterDominique Mercy
Jean Cébron
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Leitung KostümRenate Eichberg
Workshop managementLeo Haase
AssistantHans Dieter Knebel
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Keuschheitslegende (Legend of Chastity)” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 13, 1979
Discover photos, videos and more in the archivesBrowse the archives
Season 1979/80

Piece1980 – A Piece by Pina Bausch
Date18 May 1980
VenueSchauspielhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
Set design assistantGerda Raichle
DanceAnne 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
MusicianArthur Sockel

violinist

Matthias Burkert

harmonium player

Special performerHans Günter Witt

wizard

StagehandHeinz Czyganowski
LightingSiegfried Schuchmann
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHelmut Schoth
Ballet masterDominique Mercy
Jean Cébron
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Leitung KostümRenate Eichberg
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerPeter Lütke
PropsGerd Klann
Sportler:inMax Walther

gymnast

Source of castEvening 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 archivesBrowse the archives
Season 1980/81

Season 1982/83

Season 1983/84

Season 1985/86

Season 1986/87



From the Pina Bausch archives
Anne Martin

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