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Since season 1973/74becoming an ensemble member
Until season 1977/78becoming an ensemble member

Biography

Tijtske Boersma

Dutch dancer Tjitske Broersma was born in 1946 in Soemobito, Indonesia. She completed her dance education in the Netherlands between 1966 and 1969, studying classical ballet, modern dance and dance pedagogy at the Rotterdamse Dansacademie (now Codarts University of the Arts). During this time she also attended workshops led by Yuriko Kikuchi, Mary Hinkson, Betty Jones, Hans van Manen, Dorle Hoffman, Martha Eddy, Ciel Wertz and Fran Parker, and worked with choreographers Lucas Hoving, Bianca van Dillen, Lynn Simonson, Kurt Jooss, Gerhard Bohner and
Gigi-Gheorghe Caciuléanu as well as with Agnes de Mille’s assistant, Vernon Lusby. After graduating, she performed with the Rotterdams Danscentrum, under the direction of Ineke Sluiter, from 1969 to 1971. This is where she was spotted by Pina Bausch, who invited her to join the Folkwang Ballet (1971–73) and took her with her to become part of Tanztheater Wuppertal in 1973.

From modern dance to dance theatre

Being one of the original members of Tanztheater Wuppertal, Tjitske Broersma contributed to the genesis of this new form – dance theatre. She performed in the premieres of Fritz, the Gluck operas Iphigenie auf Tauris and Orpheus und Eurydike, the Stravinsky triple bill, the double bill Die Sieben Todsünden (The Seven Deadly Sins), Blaubart. Beim Anhören einer Tonbandaufnahme von Béla Bartóks Oper “Herzog Blaubarts Burg” (Bluebeard. While Listening to a Tape Recording of Béla Bartók’s Opera “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle”), Komm tanz mit mir and Renate wandert aus. She saw her work with Pina Bausch not as a job but as a passion, and considered her time there extraordinarily inspiring, both personally and professionally. Key elements that she brought to her later work include absolute integrity in one’s work, and attention to every detail of a choreography. Broersma left Tanztheater Wuppertal in 1978, although she retained her links as a guest performer for a further two years. In Rotterdam, she worked as a dancer and choreographer with Penta Theater, a collective that questioned current dance conventions and introduced other disciplines into its performances. With Penta Theater, she toured to France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Sweden and Singapore.

Inspirational teacher

In 1986 Broersma gave up her active dance career and became artistic director (until 1990) of Danscentrum Utrecht, which quickly became one of the most important amateur dance schools in the Netherlands. She encouraged her students to develop their own pieces and, with her own choreography, Two Lips (1991), set new standards for working with amateurs in a professional setting. From the early 1990s on, Broersma intensified her studies of choreography and dance theory, taking courses in Laban Movement Analysis at the Rotterdamse Dansacademie and studying choreology with Valerie Preston-Dunlop in London. In addition, she was a member of the funding commission for amateur productions at the National Centre for Amateur Dance (LCA), has sat on dance festival juries, written choreography analyses, collaborated with choreography colleagues, and been a guest lecturer and speaker. At the Rotterdamse Dansacademie, she supervised the internships of trainee dance teachers, and she was guest teacher with several Dutch dance companies. She has also lectured at schools of art in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Utrecht, and at the Academia Superior de Artes in Bogotá, Columbia. Her work as a teacher of dance and choreography is aimed as much at professional as at amateur dancers. Apart from creating her own choreographies, Tjitske Broersma has also worked on many theatre productions. With her varied interests and broad educational background, she has made a name for herself as an innovative and inspiring force whose main aim is to create as broad a base and as wide an audience for dance as possible. Because dance is more than a profession for Broersma – it is also a passion, part of life intensely lived.

Text by Norbert Servos
Translated by Rachel McNicholl


Gallery


Premieres

Season 1973/74

PieceFritz
Date5 January 1974
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
Choreografische AssistenzHans Pop
DanceCarlos Orta

Man

Catherine Denisot

Girl with long arms

Charlotte Butler

Grandmother

Dominique Mercy

Man in shirt

Ed Kortlandt

Man-woman

Gabriel Sala

Headless man

Heinz Samm

Fat man

Jan Minařík

Father

John Giffin

Henchman I

João Penalva

Henchman II

Malou Airaudo

Mother

Marlis Alt

Fritz

Monika Sagon

Frau Männerkopf

Monika Wacker

Lady with umbrella

Riitta Laurikainen

Bald woman

Tjitske Broersma

Woman in black furs

Vivienne Newport

Girl

Wolf-Werner Wolf

Face

StagehandHelmut Kühne
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Artistic directorPina Bausch
Ballet masterHans-Dieter Klos
RepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Stage managerWerner Hartkopf
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Fritz” by Pina Bausch, “Rodeo” by Agnes de Mille and “The green Table” by Kurt Jooss in in Wuppertal, Jan. 5, 1974
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Season 1974/75

PieceOrpheus und Eurydike
Date23 May 1975
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceBarbara Passow-Diekamp
Barry Wilkinson
Colleen Finneran-Meessmann
Dominique Mercy

Orpheus

Heinz Samm
Hiltrud Blanck
Jan Minařík
Lajos Horvath
Laszlo Fenyves
Malou Airaudo

Eurydice

Margaret Huggenberger
Marlis Alt

Amor

Michael Diekamp
Monika Sagon
Monika Wacker
Pedro José Mascarello Bisch
Stephanie Macoun
Sue Cooper
Tjitske Broersma
Vivienne Newport
Yolanda Meier
SingerBozena Kinasz

Eurydice

Kristina Eckert

Amor

Lois White

Orpheus

ChoirWerner Wilke
StagehandHelmut Kühne
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
SouffleuseElse Hildesheim
Ballet masterHans-Dieter Klos
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Stage managerWalter Maiser
Source of castBooklet for “Orpheus und Eurydike” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, May 23, 1975
Evening leaflet for “Orpheus und Eurydike” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, May 23, 1975
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Season 1975/76

PieceThe Rite of Spring
Date3 December 1975
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceBarbara Passow-Diekamp
Barry Wilkinson
Colleen Finneran-Meessmann
Ed Kortlandt
Erwin Fritsche
Esco Edmondson
Fernando Cortizo
Guy Detot
Heinz Samm
Hiltrud Blanck
Jan Minařík
Josephine Ann Endicott
Lajos Horvath
Laszlo Fenyves
Lutz Förster
Margaret Huggenberger
Marie-Luise Thiele
Marlis Alt
Michael Diekamp
Monika Sagon
Monika Wacker
Pedro José Mascarello Bisch
Stephanie Macoun
Sue Cooper
Tjitske Broersma
Vivienne Newport
Yolanda Meier
StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Ballet masterHans-Dieter Klos
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
Source of castEvening leaflet for “The Rite of Spring”, “Wind From West” and “The Second Spring” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 3, 1975
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Season 1975/76

PieceWind From West
Date3 December 1975
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceBarbara Passow-Diekamp
Barry Wilkinson
Colleen Finneran-Meessmann
Ed Kortlandt
Esco Edmondson
Fernando Cortizo
Heinz Samm
Hiltrud Blanck
Jan Minařík
Josephine Ann Endicott
Lajos Horvath
Laszlo Fenyves
Margaret Huggenberger
Marlis Alt
Michael Diekamp
Monika Sagon
Monika Wacker
Pedro José Mascarello Bisch
Stephanie Macoun
Sue Cooper
Tjitske Broersma
Vivienne Newport
Yolanda Meier
StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
Tour managementHans-Dieter Klos
Source of castEvening leaflet for “The Rite of Spring”, “Wind From West” and “The Second Spring” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 3, 1975
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Season 1975/76

PieceThe Seven Deadly Sins
Date15 June 1976
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
MusikassistenzLothar Knepper
DanceBarbara Passow-Diekamp
Barry Wilkinson
Colleen Finneran-Meessmann
Ed Kortlandt
Elisabeth Clarke
Esco Edmondson
Fernando Cortizo
Hans Pop
Heinz Samm
Hiltrud Blanck
Jan Minařík
Josephine Ann Endicott

Anna II

Lajos Horvath
Laszlo Fenyves
Margaret Huggenberger
Marlis Alt
Michael Diekamp
Monika Sagon
Monika Wacker
Pedro José Mascarello Bisch
Stephanie Macoun
Sue Cooper
Tjitske Broersma
Vivienne Newport
Yolanda Meier
ActorMechthild Großmann
SingerAnn Höling

Anna I

Erich Leukert
Karin Rasenack
Oskar Pürgstaller

The Family

Siegfried Schmidt

The Family

Willi Nett

The Family

Zsolt Ketszery

The Family

StagehandHelmut Kühne
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Costume assistantOrtrud Himmelreich
SouffleuseElse Hildesheim
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
Tour managementHans-Dieter Klos
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “The Seven Deadly Sins” by Pina Bausch with Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal in in Wuppertal, June 15, 1976
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Season 1976/77

PieceBluebeard. While Listening to a Tape Recording of Béla Bartók's Opera "Duke Bluebeard's Castle"
Date8 January 1977
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Arnaldo Alvarez
Barbara Passow-Diekamp
Colleen Finneran-Meessmann
Ed Kortlandt
Elisabeth Clarke
Esco Edmondson
Fernando Cortizo
Guy Detot
Hans Pop
Heinz Samm
Hiltrud Blanck
Jan Minařík

Bluebeard

John Giffin
Josephine Ann Endicott
Luis P. Layag
Mari Di Lena
Marion Cito
Marlis Alt

Judith

Michael Diekamp
Monika Sagon
Monika Wacker
Tjitske Broersma
Vivienne Newport
Yolanda Meier
StagehandJosef Lindler
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Costume assistantOrtrud Himmelreich
Ballet masterEgbert Strolka
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castBooklet for “Bluebeard. While Listening to a Tape Recording of Béla Bartók's Opera "Duke Bluebeard's Castle"” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Jan. 8, 1977
Discover photos, videos and more in the archivesBrowse the archives
Season 1976/77

PieceCome Dance With Me
Date26 May 1977
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Arnaldo Alvarez
Barbara Passow-Diekamp
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
StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Costume assistantOrtrud Himmelreich
Ballet masterEgbert Strolka
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Come Dance With Me” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, May 26, 1977
Discover photos, videos and more in the archivesBrowse the archives
Season 1977/78

PieceRenate wandert aus (Renate Emigrates)
Date30 December 1977
VenueOpernhaus Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Germany
DanceAnne Marie Benati
Arnaldo Alvarez
Barbara Passow-Diekamp
Dana Sapiro
Dominique Mercy
Ed Kortlandt
Erich Leukert
Fernando Cortizo
Heinz Samm
Hiltrud Blanck
Héléna Pikon
Jacques Patarozzi
Jan Minařík
John Giffin
Josephine Ann Endicott
Luis P. Layag
Malou Airaudo
Mari Di Lena
Marion Cito
Marlis Alt
Monika Sagon
Monika Wacker
Tjitske Broersma
Vivienne Newport
Yolanda Meier
StagehandPaul Aron
LightingHans-Joachim Deinert
Make-upHeinz Dildey
SoundHorst Kersten
Costume assistantOrtrud Himmelreich
Ballet masterEgbert Strolka
Jean Cébron
BallettkorrepetitionWerner Precht
Technical directionRolf Bachmann
Workshop managementLeo Haase
Stage managerHerbert Görsch
PropsGünther Fränzel
Source of castEvening leaflet for “Renate wandert aus (Renate Emigrates)” by Pina Bausch in in Wuppertal, Dec. 30, 1977
Discover photos, videos and more in the archivesBrowse the archives

From the Pina Bausch Archives
Tjitske Broersma

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