CURRICULUM VITAE Susanne Linke- dancer, solo dancer and choreographer 



Susanne Linke unifies the heritage of German pre-war Ausdruckstanz with contemporary German dance theater.

She has had decisive influence on Germany's choreographic landscape.

She received her education from Mary Wigman in Berlin before studying at the Folkwang-Hochschule in Essen.

From 1970-1973 she was a dancer at the Folkwang Tanzstudio with the Artistic Director Pina Bausch. At the same time she developed her own first choreographic works.

Within a few short years she attained international acclaim for her solos (" Im Bade wannen", "Schritte verfolgen",

her Dore Hoyer reconstruction "Afectos humanos", among others) and her group pieces. She was awarded numerous prizes for her choreographies and she toured throughout Europe, India, Australia and South and North America.

For almost ten years, until the summer of 1985, Susanne Linke headed the Folkwang Tanzstudio.

Since then she has also worked as an independent choreographer and dancer, and has been invited regularly by

international companies to create guest choreographies, for example, by the Limón Company in New York,

the Kibbutz Company, the GRCOP at the Paris Opera and the Netherlands Dance Theater, among others.

At the beginning of the 1990s she founded the "Company Susanne Linke" and created two works: "Ruhr-Ort" and

"Märkische Landschaften". During this period she was an artist in residence at the Hebbel-Theater, Berlin.

Together with her partner Urs Dietrich as a co-director, she created a new company at the Bremen Theater in 1994 and toured in Southeast Asia and Middle America. She remained there as the Director of Dance Theater until 2000.

In the years 2000-2001 Susanne Linke was a founding member of the Choreographisches Zentrum Essen and its designated Artistic Director.

At the Choreographisches Zentrum Essen she created the solo-duo piece "Tanz-Dis-Tanz" together with Urs Dietrich, as well as the reconstruction of her solo "Schritte Verfolgen" in 2007.

Since 2001 she has continued to be active as an independent choreographer, among others for the Grassi School

in Milano, the Kibbutz Dance School in Israel, Versiliadanza Florenz and the Folkwang Hochschule Essen.

In 2004 she created her solo "VISTItatiON", commissioned by Carolyn Carlson.

She also created new choreographies for the Paris Opera (2005), the Limón Dance Company New York ( 2004),

the Choreographisches Theater Bonn (2007), the Aalto Theater Essen and the Jeanne Ruddy Dance Company

Philadelphia (2008).

In 2015 Susanne Linke became artistic director of "Theater Trier Tanz".

Read more: TEATRIER

In 2007 Susanne Linke was awarded the GERMAN DANCE PRIZE in recognition for her merits in modern dance.

In 2008 Susanne Linke was named "L'officier de l'orde pour les arts et des lettres" by the French cultural ministry.

In 2010 Susanne Linke was recognised with the title of Professor of the Folkwang Universität der Künste, Essen.
In 2016 Susanne Linke is awarded the heijo + gisela hangen prize in recognition for her artistic life work.

"Susanne Linke is a master of space and time. She dominates the stage with just a few elegant steps,

with short but sublimely beautiful arm gestures: this is her place."

(Wiebke Hüster)