Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp
2004
Born	July 1, 1941 (1941-07-01) Portland, Indiana, USA
Occupation	Choreographer, dancer
Years active	1960s-present
Website
www.TwylaTharp.org

Twyla Tharp (born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer and choreographer, who lives and works in New York City.

Biography

Early years

Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana, and was named after Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana.

When Tharp was a young child she spent a few months each year living with her Quaker grandparents on their farm in Indiana. In 1950 Tharp's family—younger sister Twanette, twin brothers Stanley and Stanford, mother Lecile and father William—moved to Rialto, California. Her parents opened a drive-in movie theater, where Tharp worked from the time she was 8 years old. The drive-in was on the corner of Acacia and Foothill, the major east–west artery in Rialto and the path of Route 66. She attended Pacific High School in San Bernardino and studied at the Vera Lynn School of Dance. Tharp, a "devoted bookworm," admits that this schedule left little time for a social life. Tharp attended Pomona College in California but later transferred to Barnard College in New York City, where she graduated with a degree in Art History in 1963. It was in New York that she studied with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. In 1963 Tharp joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Dances and ballets

In 1969, she formed her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often utilizes classical music, jazz and contemporary pop music. From 1971 to 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance performed original works around the world.

In 1973, Tharp choreographed Deuce Coupe to the music of The Beach Boys for the Joffrey Ballet. Deuce Coupe is considered to be the first crossover ballet. Later she choreographed Push Comes To Shove (1976), which featured Mikhail Baryshnikov and is now thought to be the best example of the crossover ballet.

In 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance merged with American Ballet Theatre, since which time ABT has held the world premieres of sixteen of Tharp's works. As of 2010, they have a total of twenty of her works in their repertory. Tharp has since choreographed dances for: Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance and Martha Graham Dance Company. Tharp also created the dance roadshow Cutting Up, (1991) with Mikhail Baryshnikov, which went on to tour and appeared in 28 cities over two months.

In the summer of 2000, Twyla Tharp Dance regrouped with entirely new dancers. Tharp Dance company performed Tharp's choreography around the world with a company of dancers and all were cast in Movin' Out, a musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel. Movin' Out received ten Tony nominations and Tharp was named Best Choreographer. In 2006, Tharp choreographed and directed another musical, this time based on songs by Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A Changin'.

Broadway

In 1980, Tharp's work first appeared on Broadway with Twyla Tharp Dance performing When We Were Very Young, followed in 1981 by The Catherine Wheel, her collaboration with David Byrne at the Winter Garden. "Wheel" was broadcast on PBS, and had its soundtrack released on LP.

In 1985, her staging of Singin' in the Rain, played at the Gershwin for 367 performances and was followed the by a national tour.

Tharp premiered her dance musical Movin' Out, set to the music and lyrics of Billy Joel in Chicago in 2001. The show opened on Broadway in 2002. Movin' Out ran for 1,331 performances on Broadway. A national tour opened in January 2004.

Tharp opened a new show titled The Times They Are a-Changin', to the music of Bob Dylan in 2005 at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The Times they are A-Changin' set the records or the highest grossing show and highest ticket sales as of the date of closing (March 2006). It was also the first time a show received a second extension before the first preview. After this record setting run in California, the New York show ran for 35 previews and 28 performances.

In 2009, Tharp worked with the songs of Frank Sinatra to mount Come Fly With Me, which ran at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta and was the best selling four-week run as of the date of closing in 2009. Renamed Come Fly Away the show opened on Broadway in 2010 at the Marquis Theatre in New York and ran for 26 previews and 188 performances.

Film, television and print

Tharp collaborated with film directors Milos Forman on Hair (1978), Ragtime (1980) and Amadeus (1984); Taylor Hackford on White Nights (1985) and James Brooks on I'll Do Anything (1994).

Television credits include choreographing Sue's Leg (1976) for the inaugural episode of the PBS program Dance in America,; co-producing and directing Making Television Dance (1977), which won the Chicago International Film Festival Award; and directing The Catherine Wheel (1983) for BBC Television. Tharp co-directed the award-winning television special "Baryshnikov by Tharp" in 1984.

Tharp has written three books: an early autobiography, Push Comes to Shove (1992; Bantam Books); The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life (2003, Simon & Schuster), translated into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Thai and Japanese; “The Collaborative Habit” (2009, Simon & Schuster), also translated into Thai, Chinese and Korean.

Personal life

Tharp has a son and a grandson.

Quote

"When I go into a studio I know exactly what I want, but never know quite how I'll get it. Each dance is a mystery story."

Works chronology

Dances/theatre

• Tank Dive 4/29/65
• Stage Show 6/7/65
• Stride 8/9/65
• Cede Blue Lake 12/1/65
• Unprocessed 12/1/65
• Re-Moves 10/29/66
• Yancey Dance AKA Twelve Foot Change 10/29/66
• One, Two, Three 2/2/67
• Jam 2/23/67
• Disperse 4/27/67
• Three Page Sonata 7/6/67
• Forevermore 8/27/67
• Generation 2/9/68
• One Way 2/9/68
• Excess, Idle, Surplus 4/29/68
• After Suite 2/3/69
• Group Activities 1/13/69
• Medley 7/19/69
• Dancing In The Streets 11/11/69
• PYMFFYPPMFYNM YPF 3/8/70
• Fugue, The 8/1/70
• Rose’s Cross Country 8/1/70
• The One Hundreds 8/1/70
• The History of Up and Down, I and II 1/22/71
• The Willie Smith Series 1/22/71
• Eight Jelly Rolls 1/22/71
• Mozart Sonata K.545 8/1/71
• Torelli 5/28/71
• The Bix Pieces 11/2/71
• The Raggedy Dances 10/26/72
• Deuce Coupe (ballet) 2/8/73
• As Time Goes By 10/10/73
• In the Beginnings 1/26/74
• Twyla Tharp and Eight Jelly Rolls 5/12/74
• All About Eggs 1974
• Bach Duet 9/5/74
• Deuce Coupe II 2/1/75
• Sue’s Leg 2/21/75
• The Double Cross 2/21/75
• Ocean’s Motion 6/22/75
• Rags Suite Duet 1975
• Push Comes To Shove 1/11/76
• Sue’s Leg, Remembering the Thirties 3/24/76
• Give and Take 3/25/76
• Once More Frank 7/12/76
• Country Dances 9/4/76
• Happily Ever After 11/3/76
• After All 11/15/76
• Mud 5/12/77
• Simon Medley 5/12/77
• Cacklin’ Hen 5/12/77
• 1903 2/15/79
• Chapters and Verses 2/15/79
• Baker’s Dozen 2/15/79
• Three Fanfares 2/1/80
• Brahms Paganini 3/24/80
• When We Were Very Young 3/26/80
• Assorted Quartets 7/29/80
• Short Stories 9/29/80
• Third Suite 8/26/80
• Uncle Edgar Dyed His Hair Red 5/1/81
• The Catherine Wheel 9/22/81 (music by David Byrne)
• Nine Sinatra Songs 10/14/82
• Bad Smells 10/15/82
• Fait Accompli 11/9/83
• "The Golden Section" 11/9/83 (music by David Byrne) (also filmed for PBS)
• Telemann 11/4/83
• The Little Ballet 4/1/84
• Brahms/Handel (ballet), choreography by Tharp and Jerome Robbins 6/7/84
• Sorrow Floats 7/7/84
• Bach Partita 12/9/83
• Sinatra Suite 4/1/84
• Singin’ in the Rain - Broadway 7/2/85
• In The Upper Room 8/28/86
• Ballare 8/30/86
• Quartet 2/4/89
• Bum’s Rush 2/8/89
• Rules of the Game 2/17/89
• Everlast 3/2/89
• Brief Fling 2/28/90
• Grand Pas: Rhythm of the Saints 10/1/91
• Men’s Piece 10/4/91
• Octet 10/4/91
• Sextet 1/30/92
• Cutting Up: A Dance Roadshow 6/15/93
• Demeter & Persephone 10/5/93
• Pergolesi 5/14/93
• Bare Bones 1993
• Waterbaby Bagatelles 4/30/94
• “New Works” Twyla Tharp in Washington: Red, White & Blues” 9/13/94
• Noir 9/13/94
• How Near Heaven 3/3/95
• Americans We 5/1/95
• Jump Start 5/1/95
• I Remember Clifford 8/10/95
• Mr. Worldly Wise 12/9/95
• The Elements 3/5/96
• Sweet Fields 9/20/96
• “66” 9/20/96
• Heroes 9/20/96
• Story Teller, The 10/29/97
• Roy’s Joys 8/20/97
• Moondog 2/21/98
• Yemaya 6/21/98
• Sam & Mary 2/21/98
• Diabelli 9/7/98
• Known By Heart 11/3/98
• Hammerklavier I 7/4/99
• Hammerklavier II 6/23/01
• Beethoven Seventh 1/22/00
• The Brahms/Haydn Variations aka: Variations on a Theme by Haydn 3/21/00
• Mozart Clarinet Quintet K. 581 7/6/00
• Surfer At The River Styx 7/6/00
• Known By Heart Duet 6/23/01
• Westerly Round 6/23/01
• Movin’ Out - Chicago 6/25/02
• Movin’ Out - New York 10/24/02
• Movin' Out - US Tour 1/27/04
• Movin' Out - London 6/13/07
• Movin' Out - Troika Tour 6/13/07
• Even The King 1/11/03
• Catherine Wheel Suite 5/11/06
• The Times They Are A-Changin' - California 2/9/06
• The Times They Are A-Changin' - New York 10/27/06
• NIGHTSPOT 3/28/08
• Rabbit and Rogue 6/3/08
• Brahms Opus 111 9/25/08
• Afternoon Ball 9/25/08
• Come Fly With Me 9/23/09
• Come Fly Away 3/25/10
• Sinatra: Dance With Me - 12/11/10
• Come Fly Away Tour 8/3/11
• Armenia 4/23/11
• Scarlatti 10/13/11
• The Princess and The Goblin 2/10/12

Film

• Hair 3/12/78
• Ragtime 1980
• Amadeus 9/19/84
• White Nights 12/6/85
• I'll Do Anything 1994

Video

• Scrapbook Tape 10/25/82
• The Catherine Wheel 3/1/83
• Baryshnikov by Tharp / Push Comes to Shove 10/5/84

Television

• The Bix Pieces (series of productions) 1973
• Making Television Dance 10/4/77
• Dance Is A Man’s Sport Too 1980
• Confessions of a Cornermaker 10/13/81
• Catherine Wheel, PBS 3/1/83
• "The Golden Section" from Dance in America: Miami City Ballet 10/28/11

Books

• Push Comes To Shove 12/92
• The Creative Habit 9/29/03
• The Collaborative Habit 11/24/09

Honors and awards

Twyla Tharp received two Emmy Awards, 19 honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, and numerous grants including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

At the 1982 Barnard College commencement ceremonies, Tharp's alma mater awarded her its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction.

She received the Tony Award for Best Choreography and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for the 2002 musical Movin' Out. She received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Choreography for the musical Singin' in the Rain.

She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree for 2008.

Tharp was inducted into the Academy of Achievement in 1993.

Awards by year

1965

• Walter Gutman

1969

• George Irwin
• The Lepercq Foundation

1970

• Foundation for the Contemporary Performing Arts, 1970
• Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, John S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
• The Emma A. Sheafer Trust, 1970–1981, 1985

1971

• John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 1971, 1974
• National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, 1971, 1973
• New York State Council on the Arts Annual Support, 1971–1986

1972

• Brandeis University, Creative Arts Citation

1973

• National Endowment for the Arts Annual Support, 1973–1986

1974

• Creative Artists Public Service Program
• Edward John Nobel Foundation
• New York Public Library Dance Collection
• The Place Trust, London
• The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, 1974–1978, 1982, 1983, 1986

1975

• Eight Jelly Rolls, 1st in Festival in Video and Modern Dance Video Certificate of Honor
• Making Television Dance, Modern Dance Video Certificate of Merit

1976

• Mademoiselle Magazine, Mademoiselle Magazine Award
• Exxon Corporation, 1976, 1980, 1982–1984, 1986

1977

• The Green Fund, 1977, 1980, 1981
• National Endowment for the Arts Challenge Grant, 1977, 1985
• The Shubert Foundation, 1977, 1978, 1980–1986

1978

• Dance Film Association, 7th Annual Dance Video and Film Festival
• Honorary Degree, California Institute of the Arts
• Silver Satellite Award for Making Television Dance, American Women in Radio & Television
• The Ford Foundation, 1978, 1980
• The Ford Motor Company, 1978–1985
• The Surdna Foundation, 1978, 1980, 1985

1979

• Soho Arts Second Annual Awards, The Soho Weekly News
• Honorary Degree, Bucknell University
• The Scherman Foundation, 1979, 1980, 1982–1985
• United Artists
• The David Merrick Arts Foundation
• Mobil Foundation, Inc., 1979, 1981–1986

1980

• Honorary Degree, Bates College
• Dance Educators of America Award for Making Television Dance
• Screening and Red Ribbon Award for Making Television Dance
• The Booth Ferris Foundation
• Chase Manhattan Bank, 1980–1982
• Con Ed, 1980–1985
• Morgan Guarantee Trust, 1980–1981, 1983–1984, 1986
• The Jerome Robbins Foundation, 1980, 1983

1981

• Film Library Association American Film Festival
• Honorary Degree, Bard College
• Honorary Degree, Brown University
• Dance Magazine Award, Dance Magazine
• Dance Film Award for Making Television Dance, Chicago International Film Festival
• Indiana Arts Award, Indiana Arts Commission
• Citibank, 1981–1986
• Doll Foundation, 1981–1986
• Weil Foundation
• Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation
• Rockefeller Foundation

1982

• Medal of Distinction, Barnard College
• Chemical Bank, 1982–1986
• National Corporate Fund for Dance, 1982–1985
• Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
• Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation, 1982, 1986
• New York Telephone, 1982–1985

1983

• Spirit of Achievement Award, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Honorary Degree, Williams College
• Indiana Arts Award, Indiana Arts Commission
• The Thorne Foundation
• Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, 1983–1984, 1986
• C.L. Glazer Trust
• The Klingenstein Fund
• Warner Communications

1984

• Mayor's Award of Honor for Arts and Culture, Edward I. Koch, New York City
• Dance Masters of America 1984 Choreographer's Award
• Arthur Andersen and Company, 1984–1986
• Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission
• Booth Ferris Foundation
• Brooklyn Union and Gas
• Merrill Lynch, 1984, 1986
• New York Times Company Foundation, 1984–1986

1985

• Emmy Awards for Baryshnikov by Tharp choreography and co-direction, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
• Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Baryshnikov by Tharp
• Indiana Arts Award, Indiana Arts Commission
• APA Trucking
• The Charles Engelhard Foundation
• Corporate Property Investors
• Hausman Belding Foundation
• Gerald D. Hines Interests
• GFI/Knoll International
• NBC, 1985–1986
• Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, 1985, 1986
• Zayre Corporation

1986

• University Medal of Excellence, Columbia University
• Bankers Trust
• Cadillac Fairview
• MCA
• Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company
• Ridgewood Energy Corporation

1987

• Honorary Degree, Indiana University
• Honorary Degree, Pomona College
• Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement

1988

• Honorary Degree, Hamilton College
• Honorary Degree, Skidmore College

1989

• Honorary Degree, Marymount Manhattan College
• Lions of the Performing Arts Award, New York Public Library

1990

• Samuel M. Scripps Award, American Dance Festival

1991

• Laurence Olivier Award for In the Upper Room, Laurence Olivier Foundation
• Wexner Foundation Award, The Ohio State University Wexner Center for the Arts

1992

• MacArthur Fellowship, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Ruth Page Visiting Arts, Harvard University, 1992–1993

1993

• Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement
• Woman of Achievement, Barnard College
• Inducted, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

1996

• Arts Award, Dickinson College
• Honorary Degree, Ball State University
• Distinguished Artist Award, International Society For The Performing Arts

1997

• American Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts and Letters

1998

• Trust for Mutual Understanding

1999

• MOCA Award to Distinguished Women In The Arts, Museum Of Contemporary Art

2000

• The Doris Duke Awards for New Work

2001

• Women’s Project & Productions Exceptional Achievement Award

2002

• New York Awards Lifetime Achievement

2003

• Drama Desk Award Outstanding Choreography: Movin' Out
• Tony Award Best Choreography: Movin' Out
• Drama League Outstanding Achievement Award for Musical Theatre
• TDF/Astaire Award Best Choreographer: Movin' Out
• Indiana Living Legend, Indiana Historical Society
• Glamour Woman of the Year Award
• Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award North Carolina School of the Arts

2004

• National Medal of Arts
• Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts
• Independent Reviewers of New England Award Best Choreography: Movin' Out. Broadway in Boston
• Goddard Space Flight Center’s Center Director’s Colloquium Citation for Enlightening, Creative and Thought-Provoking Presentation

2005

• Best Choreography: Movin' Out. Touring Broadway Awards
• Jane Addams Medal for Distinguished Service presented by Rockford College

2006

• Princess Grace Award – Outstanding Artistry
• Critics Circle Dance Award Outstanding Choreography: Movin' Out. London

2007

• Honorary Degree Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
• Honorary Degree Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
• Touring Broadway Award: Best Choreography for a touring show for Movin' Out

2008

• The Jerome Robbins Prize
• The Kennedy Center Honors

2009

• US News & World Report: listed on "America's Best Leaders"

2010

• The IAL Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts, presented by Columbia University's The Varsity Show
• The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreographer: Come Fly Away
• Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences
• Suzi Bass Award for Best Choreography: "Come Fly With Me"

See also

• Brahms/Handel, collaborative ballet with Jerome Robbins

References

9. Siegel, Marcia B. Howling Near Heaven. New York: St. Martins Press 2006. Print. 10. Tharp, Twyla. Push Comes to Shove. United States; Canada: Bantam Books 1992. Print.

External links

• Twyla Tharp official site
• Twyla Tharp at the Internet Broadway Database
• Twyla Tharp at the Internet Movie Database
• Archival footage of Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs in 1993 at Jacob's Pillow
• Twyla Tharp performing The One Hundreds in 2001 at Jacob's Pillow