Here below we publish the presse release sent by the press office of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

WUPPERTAL The Artistic Director of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Boris Charmatz, and the board of the GmbH together with the City of Wuppertal have mutually agreed to terminate their contractual relationship at the end of the current season. The parties have agreed that the reasons for this termination shall remain confidential. 
The City of Wuppertal regrets the departure of Boris Charmatz, who has successfully guided the Tanztheater’s artistic fortunes since 2022, and thanks Mr Charmatz for the numerous remarkable artistic works that he has been able to realise since he began his artistic directorship, including Wundertal, Liberté Cathédrale, Club Amour, Forever (Immersion dans Café Müller de Pina Bausch) and Cercles.
The City would have wished to continue working with Mr Charmatz and remains open and willing to co-operate with him in future.
From August 2025, the continuity of the Tanztheater’s rehearsal, performance and touring operations will be ensured by Deputy Director Dr. Daniel Siekhaus. The next Artistic Director of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch shall also be the founding Artistic Director of the forthcoming Pina Bausch Centre. An appointment will therefore only be made once Wuppertal City Council has made a final decision regarding the construction of the Pina Bausch Centre. Under the present timetable, this decision will be made by the year 2026 at the latest.
The touring performances of the productions Liberté Cathédrale and Club Amour scheduled for future seasons will take place as planned. The City of Wuppertal recognises with thanks that Boris Charmatz’s great achievement – in addition to his own outstanding work as a choreographer, his ability and his talent – has been to maintain and develop the great artistic legacy of the world-famous choreographer Pina Bausch.

Board Chair of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch GmbH Dr. Rolf Köster:
“Boris Charmatz has demonstrated great empathy in successfully devising new creative impulses for the work of Pina Bausch. In addition to this, with his own unmistakably dynamic formal language he has created new works for the Tanztheater, which have given the Tanztheater a new dimension and new impetus that has had a strong effect on the city as a society. The Board is extremely grateful to him for the artistic impact he has had in Wuppertal.”

Head of Cultural Affairs and City Director Matthias Nocke:
“The productions of Boris Charmatz, with hundreds of professionals and amateurs of all ages and professions from Wuppertal, have turned the city into a stage and sent wonderful, enduring images of our city all around the world. Thanks to Boris Charmatz, Wuppertal has indeed become a city of dance.”

Lord Mayor Uwe Schneidewind:
“In Boris Charmatz, we secured an artist for Wuppertal who brought along with him an international aura and combined the legacy of Pina Bausch with a new beginning for the ensemble. With his open-air productions and the inclusion of many amateurs he brought dance to the heart of the city. We thank him for his work with the ensemble and the many Wuppertalers who have participated in his projects.”

Minister of Culture Ina Brandes:
Boris Charmatz’s work has left its mark on Wuppertal. He has conquered the city along with the Tanztheater and created new artistic high points. This has been proven by last year’s nomination of the Theatre Prize DER FAUST and his invitation to be associate artist of the world-renowned Festival d’Avignon in 2024.

Boris Charmatz, Artistic Director of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch:
“I have loved working in Wuppertal with and for the people of this city.
“I have also loved working together with the dancers and team of Tanztheater Wuppertal to develop the work of Pina Bausch in multiple ways and with great respect. With our different histories, we first had to get to know and understand each other. This was sometimes complex, but always beautiful and productive. For this, I thank the dancers and the team.
“I would also like to thank the City of Wuppertal, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the French Ministry of Culture and the Region Hauts-de-France for making possible a co-operation project between Germany and France, between Tanztheater Wuppertal and Terrain while I was Artistic Director.
“I wish the great artistic work of Pina Bausch nothing but the best for its independence and freedom: this also goes for her artistic family, her ecosystem and her legendary company – Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.”
 

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