Josephine Ann Endicott

Josephine Ann Endicott was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1950. She began ballet lessons at the age of seven and later trained at the prestigious Australian Ballet School in Melbourne. After completing her studies, she joined the Australian Ballet Company, where she danced alongside legendary figures such as Margot Fonteyn, Carla Fracci, Maya Plisetskaya, and Rudolf Nureyev. During this time, she also worked with renowned choreographers Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, Paul Taylor, Glen Tetley, and Leonide Massine, to name a few.

In late 1972, Endicott moved to London, where a chance encounter with Pina Bausch led to her joining the inaugural season of the newly founded Tanztheater Wuppertal. As a core member of the ensemble, she helped shape many of the company’s central roles and remained a full-time company dancer until 1987.

Following her departure from the company, she pursued new creative avenues, collaborating with theatre directors such as Hans Günther Heyme (1979), Peter Palitzsch (1991), and Wolf Seesemann (1995) - a period she considers vital for her artistic growth.

In 1994, she returned to Tanztheater Wuppertal as a guest artist. Since 1997, Endicott has played a vital role in preserving and transmitting Bausch’s work for international audiences. Working closely with the Pina Bausch Foundation, she has taken artistic responsibility for restaging works including The Rite of Spring, Orpheus und Eurydike, Kontakthof, Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei gehört (On the Mountain a Cry Was Heard), Adagioand Wind from the West. Her work has brought Bausch’s distinctive language to companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, English National Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet and La Scala Ballet.

Her international projects have also included a cast of actors from the Greek National Theatre and an ensemble of dancers from 14 African countries, assembled in collaboration with École des Sables in Senegal and Sadler’s Wells in the UK. Most recently, she appeared in the tour of Maryl Tankard's Kontakthof – Echoes of '78, performing her original role in Bausch's classic at the age of 76. Alongside her work as a performer and artistic collaborator, Endicott is an accomplished author. Her first book, A Respectable Woman, was published in 1999, followed by Waiting for Pina in 2009.

In 2023, she was honoured with the prestigious German Dance Award in recognition of her tireless contribution and commitment to dance over the decades, and was promoted to Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. Her career stands as a testament to the power of artistic curiosity, collaboration and dedication. Through her commitment to Bausch’s work, she continues to play an essential role in shaping the legacy of one of the most influential choreographers of the twentieth century.

(Information as of November 2026)