Twyla Tharp (/ˈtwaɪləˈθɑːrp/; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1965 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance, which merged with American Ballet Theatre in 1988. She regrouped the company in 1991.[2] Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music.
From 1971 to 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance toured extensively around the world, performing original works. In 1973 Tharp choreographed Deuce Coupe to the music of The Beach Boys for the Joffrey Ballet. Deuce Coupe is considered the first "crossover ballet", a mix of ballet and modern dance. Later she choreographed Push Comes to Shove (1976), which featured Mikhail Baryshnikov and is now thought to be the best example of crossover ballet.
On May 24, 2018, Tharp was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree by Harvard University.[3]
Early life and education
Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana, the daughter of William Tharp and Lecile (Confer) Tharp.[1] She was named for Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair.
As a child, Tharp spent a few months each year living with her Quaker grandparents on their farm in Indiana. She would attend Quaker services three times a week.[4]
Tharp's mother insisted she take lessons in dance, various musical instruments, shorthand, German and French. In 1950, Tharp's family—younger sister Twanette, twin brothers Stanley and Stanford, and her parents—moved to Rialto, California.[5] William and Lecile operated Tharp Motors and Tharp Autos in Rialto.[6] They opened a drive-in theater, where Tharp worked.[4] The drive-in was on the corner of Acacia and Foothill, Rialto's major east–west artery and the path of Route 66.[7] She attended Pacific High School in San Bernardino, studied at the Vera Lynn School of Dance, and studied ballet with Beatrice Collenette.[8] A "devoted bookworm",[9] Tharp has said her schedule left little time for a social life.[10] She attended Pomona College, but transferred to Barnard College after being caught making out with her boyfriend and threatened with expulsion.[11] She graduated from Barnard with a degree in art history in 1963.[12] In New York City, she studied with Richard Thomas, Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham.[13] In 1963, Tharp joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
Career
Dances and ballets
In 1965, Tharp choreographed her first dance, Tank Dive,[14] and formed her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance.[15] Her work often utilizes classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. From 1971 to 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance toured extensively around the world, performing original works.
In 1973, Tharp choreographed Deuce Coupe to the music of The Beach Boys for the Joffrey Ballet. Deuce Coupe is considered 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 crossover ballet.[citation needed]
In 2000, Twyla Tharp Dance regrouped with entirely new dancers. This company also performed around the world, and with it Tharp developed the material that became Movin' Out, an award-winning Broadway musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel and starring many of the dancers in the company.[17]
Tharp was the first Artist in Residency (A.I.R.) at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. During this time she created and premiered Waiting At The Station, a work with music by R&B artist Allen Toussaint and sets and costumes by longtime collaborator Santo Loquasto.
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 its soundtrack released on LP. Her dance piece Fait Accompli was set to music by David Van Tieghem as released on the These Things Happen LP (1984).
Tharp premiered her dance musical Movin' Out, set to the music and lyrics of Billy Joel, in Chicago in 2001.[20] The show opened on Broadway in 2002.[21]Movin' Out ran for 1,331 performances on Broadway. A national tour opened in January 2004. It received 10 Tony nominations and Tharp won Best Choreographer.[22]
Tharp opened a new show, 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 for the highest-grossing show and highest ticket sales as of the date of closing (March 2006).[23] It was also the first show to receive a second extension before the first preview. After its 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.[24] Renamed Come Fly Away, the show opened on Broadway in 2010 at the Marquis Theatre and ran for 26 previews and 188 performances. Come Fly Away, was retooled and opened under the title Sinatra: Dance with Me at The Wynn Las Vegas in 2011. Come Fly Away National Tour opened in Atlanta in August 2011.
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.
Author
Tharp has written four 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), translated into Thai, Chinese and Korean; and Keep It Moving (2019). She has said that The Creative Habit is about cybernetics, especially in the several Greek-themed creative exercises, such as the Coin Drop; the Coin Drop, as an exercise in extracting ordered meaning from chaos, is derived from the astrological museUrania, in that random coins falling onto a flat surface can be used to develop pattern analysis skills. The astrological theme is an etymological underpinning of cybernetics' tradition of "guiding a boat" by sighting stellar references according to ancient Greek navigation.
From 2013 to 2014, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery featured Tharp in the critically acclaimed "Dancing the Dream" exhibition as a pioneer of American modern dance.[29]
On May 24, 2018, she was awarded the Doctor of Arts degree by Harvard University.[3]
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 Vasterling Award, Presented by Nashville Ballet
Honorary Degree, The Juilliard School, New York, NY
TITAS Award for Contributions to the Arts
Woman of Achievement Award, Meredith College
Spotlight Award, Presented by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
2013
Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Tribeca Film Festival
2014
62nd Capezio Dance Award
Honorary Degree, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Personal life
Until 1972 Tharp was married to painter Robert Huot,[30] by whom she has a son, Jesse Huot, who acts as her business manager. She also has a grandson.[31][32]
