Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp
File:Tharp300 (cropped).jpg 2004
Occupation(s)	Choreographer, dancer
Years active	1960s-present
Website	http://www.twylatharp.org/

Twyla Tharp (born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer and choreographer. She has won Emmy and Tony awards, and currently works as a choreographer in New York City.

Biography

Early years

Tharp was born in Portland, Indiana and was named for Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana. Tharp's family (including younger sister Twanette, twin brothers Stanley and Stanford, mother Lecile and father William) moved to Rialto, California in 1951, where her parents opened a drive-in movie theater on the corner of Acacia and Foothill, the major east-west artery in Rialto and the path of Route 66. During this period she worked at the drive-in, studied at the Vera Lynn School of Dance and attended Pacific High School in San Bernardino. Tharp admitted that in her early years she had no time for social life because of the need to work in her spare time since the age of 8 years old.

Tharp attended Pomona College in California, but transferred to Barnard College in New York City. It was in New York that she studied with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. She graduated from Barnard with a degree in art history in 1963 and joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company. From 1965 to 1970 she explored and developed her ideas and in 1971 she formed her own company, called Twyla Tharp Dance.

Career

Twyla Tharp is the first choreographer to create a dance work, Deuce Coupe, that utilized both modern and ballet techniques. She is the creator of what is now known as the “cross-over” ballet. Tharp's 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 she created a dance titled Deuce Coupe, for The Joffrey Ballet, which is considered to be the first ever “cross-over” ballet.In 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance merged with American Ballet Theatre, where Tharp created more than a dozen works. Since that time Tharp has choreographed dances for many companies including The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Boston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance and The Martha Graham Dance Company. In 1991, Tharp regrouped her company Twyla Tharp Dance and created a program with Mikhail Baryshnikov called Cutting Up, which went on to appear in 28 cities over a two month period. From 1999 to 2003, Twyla Tharp Dance toured internationally.

Tharp's work first went to Broadway in 1980 with When We Were Very Young, followed in 1981 by her collaboration with David Byrne on The Catherine Wheel at the Winter Garden, and her 1985 staging of Singin' in the Rain, which played at the Gershwin for 367 performances, followed by an extensive national tour. In 2002, Tharp premiered Billy Joel's award-winning dance musical Movin' Out on Broadway, and a national tour opened in January, 2004. The recipient of a 2003 Tony Award for Movin' Out, Tharp was also honored with the 2003 Astaire Award; the Drama League Award for Sustained Achievement in Musical Theater; and both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography. Movin' Out ran for 1331 performances on Broadway. In 2005, Tharp created a show titled The Times They Are a-Changin', to the music of Bob Dylan. After a successful run in San Diego, the New York show closed after 35 previews and 28 performances.

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

Her television credits include choreographing "Sue's Leg" for the inaugural episode of the PBS program Dance in America, co-producing and directing Making Television Dance, which won the Chicago International Film Festival Award; and directing The Catherine Wheel for BBC Television. Tharp co-directed the television special "Baryshnikov by Tharp," which won two Emmy Awards as well as the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Director Achievement.

Tharp wrote her first book in 1992, the autobiography Push Comes to Shove. Her second book, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life was published in October 2003.

Tharp continues to create works and lecture around the world.

Honors and awards

She received two Emmy Awards, 17 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.

In 2007, Tharp received honoris causa degrees from Duke and Princeton Universities.

She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree for 2008.

Tharp was inducted into the Academy of Achievement in 1993.

See also

Brahms/Handel, collaborative ballet with Jerome Robbins

External links

• Twyla Tharp official site
• Please use a more specific IBDB template. See the documentation for available templates.

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