Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp
Susan Sterner.〔The original uploader was Emerson7 at English Wikipedia.〕 · Public domain · source
Name	Twyla Tharp
Birth date	July 1, 1941
Birth place	Portland, Indiana, United States
Occupation	Choreographer, dancer
Years active	1960s–present

Twyla Tharp is an American choreographer and dancer known for her work across ballet, modern dance, theater, film, and popular music. She achieved prominence for innovative ensemble pieces, collaborations with major ballet companies and Broadway productions, and a prolific output of commissions and films. Her career intersects with leading institutions, performers, composers, and cultural movements in late 20th‑ and early 21st‑century performing arts.

Early life and education

Born in Portland, Indiana, Tharp was raised in a family with Midwestern roots and spent formative years in Wichita Falls, Texas and Richmond, Indiana. She studied classical music and dance, training with teachers influenced by techniques associated with Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine, and José Limón. Tharp attended Pomona College briefly before completing a degree at Barnard College and pursuing graduate work at Juilliard School. Early mentors and peers included figures connected to Alwin Nikolais, Paul Taylor, Arthur Mitchell, and institutions such as the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre.

Career

Tharp formed her first company, Tharp Dance, in the 1960s and later established Twyla Tharp Dance and Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation, collaborating with ensembles like the Paul Taylor Dance Company and companies including Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet. She created works for theatrical producers and venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater, and Broadway houses, and worked in film with directors and producers associated with Martin Scorsese, Tommy Lee Jones, and Mick Jagger. Tharp choreographed for recording artists and ensembles including Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, The Beatles-era projects, and contemporary performers associated with Prince and David Bowie. She engaged with television institutions like PBS, ABC, and BBC One for broadcasts and specials, and collaborated with composers and conductors linked to Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, John Adams, and Aaron Copland.

Choreographic style and influences

Tharp’s technique blends elements drawn from pioneers such as Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, and José Limón, synthesized with influences from jazz musicians like Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, popular music figures including Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and film aesthetics from directors such as Stanley Kubrick and Bob Fosse. Her work reflects dialogues with composers and arrangers like Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Steve Reich, Leonard Bernstein, and Philip Glass, and engages theatrical traditions associated with Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Jerome Robbins. Tharp has cited literary and visual-art influences tied to names such as Gertrude Stein, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Andy Warhol; her process also intersects with pedagogues from Bennington College and administrative models at New York University and Columbia University.

Major works and commissions

Key works include early ensemble pieces for Tharp Dance and later signature ballets and stage works created for New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, commissions for San Francisco Ballet and Royal Ballet, and Broadway productions such as Movin' Out, Nine, and The Catherine Wheel‑related projects. She choreographed for films including Hair, and major concert productions tied to large venues like Madison Square Garden and festival presentations at Tanglewood and the Spoleto Festival USA. Collaborations produced works set to scores by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, John Cage, Igor Stravinsky, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and arrangements by contemporary musicians associated with Billy Joel and Elvis Costello. Tharp’s crossover projects included commissions from dance institutions such as the Royal Danish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Boston Ballet, and orchestral collaborations with organizations like the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Awards and recognition

Her honors encompass major awards conferred by institutions and organizations including the MacArthur Fellowship, Kennedy Center Honors, and multiple Tony Awards related to Broadway choreography. She has received accolades from arts foundations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, lifetime achievement awards from entities like Dance Magazine and American Dance Guild, and distinctions from international bodies such as the Order of Arts and Letters (France) and awards associated with Laurence Olivier Awards ceremonies. Tharp’s work has been recognized with fellowships and prizes linked to Guggenheim Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and honors presented by Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Personal life and legacy

Tharp has lived and worked in cultural hubs including New York City and Los Angeles. Her partnerships and professional networks have connected her with choreographers, directors, composers, dancers, and producers across institutions like Juilliard School, Barnard College, New York City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. She authored books reflecting on creative process and methodology published in contexts associated with academic presses at Harvard University Press and commercial publishers involved with figures like Anne Bogart and Peter Brook. Tharp’s legacy influences contemporary choreographers and companies such as Susan Stroman, Martha Clarke, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mark Morris, and Crystal Pite; her techniques and collaborative model inform curricula at Juilliard, Yale School of Drama, Columbia University School of the Arts, and conservatories like Royal Academy of Dance.

Category:American choreographers Category:1941 births Category:Living people