Twyla Frickin Tharp, The First of Many Tharp Entries

TWYLA THARP.

Okay, anybody who has had a conversation longer than 5 minutes with me, will know I am low-key obsessed with the dance legend that is, Twyla Tharp.

I lied, there’s nothing low-key about my obsession.

I am absolutely and un-apologetically fascinated by her.

Thus, I have a range of essays surrounding her, her life and work and her influence on the dance world. She also of course features in one of my pieces to come regarding how many female dancers parallel and/or impact past, present and future politics and social attitudes.

But since I have to understand (although it hurts my heart) that some of you guys won’t know who she is, I thought it best to introduce her to my blog by giving you all the wonderful background information combined with my side notes of course about this sensational woman.

So who or what is she? Well, Twyla is a dancer and choreographer, presently living in New York City. She first graced the earth with her presence in 1941 in Portland, Indiana. As a young girl, Twyla spent a few months living with her Quaker grandparents on their farm in Indiana (why am I telling you this? It will make sense later on, life experiences influence everything an artist does.) Her mother wanted her to take lessons in ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance. She also took piano, drum, viola and violin lessons. She learned German, French and shorthand too. So basically, Twyla was that kid you hated because she could do everything. In 1950, Twyla and her fam moved to Rialto (not Dublin 8, the one in California.) She attended Pacific High School in San Bernardino and studied dance at the Vera Lynn School of Dance. Twyla loved to read (we’re basically the same person, right?) and never cared if she had a social life or not, she was too busy with her studies. Twyla then 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.

While she was in New York, Twyla studied with more super talented people such as, Richard Thomas, Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham (also all very important and will be appearing on my blog too for any of ya’ll dance nerds.) In 1963 Twyla joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company. In 1965, Twyla choreographed her first dance, Tank Dive. Then, In 1966, she formed her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance. One thing that makes Twyla such a stand out choreographer is that she utilizes classical music, jazz and contemporary pop music to go with her original works so masterfully. Moreover, she does not believe in wrong choreography or artistry and thus, one phrase can and is often adapted to several different pieces of music. From 1971 to 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance toured around the world.

Then in 1973, Twyla choreographed the magical Deuce Coupe to the music of The Beach Boys for the Joffrey Ballet. Some will say Deuce Coupe is considered to be the first crossover ballet, I argue that it was undeniably the first crossover ballet. Later she choreographed Push Comes to Shove in 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 American Ballet Theatre has held the world premieres of 16 of Twyla’s works. In 2010, they had a total of 20 of her works in their repertory. Twyla 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 in 1991 with Mikhail Baryshnikov.

In the summer of 2000, Twyla Tharp Dance regrouped with entirely new dancers. This Tharp dance company also performed around the world. It was with this company that Tharp developed the material that would go on to become Movin’ Out, an award-winning Broadway MUSICAL (shout out to those of you who know why there’s an emphasis on the word musical.) “Movin Out,” featured the songs by Billy Joel and starred many of the dancers that were in the dance company.

Twyla was the first Artist in Residency at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. During this time she created and premiered Waiting At The Station, a new work with music by R& B artist Allen Toussaint with sets and costumes by her long-time collaborator Santo Loquasto.

Are you noticing a trend? Twyla has achieved a lot of 'firsts' throughout her life.

Twyla has written three books: an early autobiography, Push Comes To Shove in 1992 and The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life in 2003 (which changed my life entirely and further consolidated my fascination with her.)

Twyla also collaborated with film directors Milos Forman on Hair in 1978, Ragtime in 1980 and Amadeusin 1984, Taylor Hackford on White Nights in 1985 and James Brooks on I’ll Do Anything in 1994. Twyla co-directed the award-winning television special “Baryshnikov by Tharp” in 1984.

If I were to continue to list the numerous productions for stage, screen, television, and the awards Twyla Tharp has won, which I could do, this blog would go on forever. So, I’ll compromise and just list some of her most prestigious awards. Twyla has won 2 Emmy Awards, 19 Honorary Doctorates, The Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award in 2004, and the National Medal of Arts. Twyla is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and she is an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1982, Twyla received the Barnard College highest honour, the Barnard Medal of Distinction. She also received the Tony Award for Best Choreographer and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for the 2002 musical Movin’ Out. She was named a Kennedy Centre Honouree for 2000 and inducted into the Academy of Achievement in 1993. And as I said before, this list could go on forever, and somehow in between winning at life, she managed to have a son too!

To finish this blog entry as I’m starving for some unicorn cheerios, I think it is abundantly clear that Twyla is some woman for one woman and that’s before I even hone in on her particular works or her personality (which is all coming don’t worry) but for those of you who knew who she was, I hope you learned one thing from this entry and for those of you who didn’t know who she was, be better.

I hope you’re as excited for the next Twyla entry as I am.

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." - Twyla Tharp.