Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. 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 ''Deuce Coupe'' is a ballet by choreographer Twyla Tharp, set to music by the Beach Boys, for the Joffrey Ballet. The ballet has been in their repertory in several redactions since the 1970s, and is still being danced. ''Deuce Coupe'' is often r ...

'' to the music of

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

for the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric O ...

. ''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 Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...

and is now thought to be the best example of crossover ballet. In 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance merged with

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

, since which time ABT has premiered 16 of Tharp's works. On May 24, 2018, Tharp was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree by

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Early life and education

Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in

Portland, Indiana Portland is a city in and the county seat of Jay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,223 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 6,085. History Portland was platted in 1837. It was named after Portland, M ...

, the daughter of Lecile Tharp, née Confer, and William Tharp. 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 Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

grandparents on their farm in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. She would attend Quaker services three times a week. 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 Rialto is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 56 miles east of Los Angeles, near the Cajon Pass, Interstate 15, Interstate 10, State Route 210 and Metrolink routes. Its population was 104,026 as of the 2020 Census, u ...

. William and Lecile operated Tharp Motors and Tharp Autos in Rialto. They opened a

drive-in movie theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movie ...

, where Tharp worked. The drive-in was on the corner of Acacia and Foothill, Rialto's major east–west artery and the path of

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

. She attended Pacific High School in

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

, studied at the

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

School of Dance, and studied ballet with

Beatrice Collenette Beatrice Collenette (1899 – 2001) was a Guernsey-born American dancer and dance educator, and the founder of the Collenette School of Dancing in Pasadena, California in 1926. She was a protégée of Anna Pavlova and the first ballet teacher of T ...

. A "devoted bookworm","Tharp Is Back Where the Air Is Rarefied"
by Gia Kourlas, ''The New York Times'', March 5, 2010 (March 7, 2010, p. AR1 NY ed.). Retrieved March 7, 2010. Tharp has said her schedule left little time for a social life. She attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...

but transferred to

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, where she graduated with a degree in art history in 1963. In

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, she studied with Richard Thomas,

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...

and

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

. In 1963, Tharp joined the

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of ...

Career

Dances and ballets

In 1965, Tharp choreographed her first dance, ''Tank Dive'', and 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 toured extensively around the world, performing original works. In 1973, Tharp choreographed ''

'' to the music of

for the

. ''Deuce Coupe'' is considered the first crossover ballet. Later she choreographed ''Push Comes to Shove'' (1976), which featured

and is now thought to be the best example of crossover ballet. In 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance merged with

, since which time ABT has premiered 16 of Tharp's works. In 2010 it had 20 of her works in its repertory. Tharp has since choreographed dances for

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

Boston Ballet The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. I ...

, Joffrey Ballet,

Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dan ...

Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Lourdes Lopez. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella, f ...

Hubbard Street Dance Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance company based in Chicago. Hubbard Street performs in downtown Chicago at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Hubb ...

and

Martha Graham Dance Company The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is known for being the oldest American dance company. Founded by Martha Graham as a contemporary dance company, it continued to perform pieces, revive classics, and train dancers even after Graham's ...

. She also created the dance roadshow ''Cutting Up'' (1992) with Baryshnikov, which went on to tour and appeared in 28 cities over two months. 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. In 2012, Tharp created the full-length ballet ''The Princess and the Goblin'', based on

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll. I ...

's story ''

The Princess and the Goblin ''The Princess and the Goblin'' is a children's fantasy novel by George MacDonald. It was published in 1872 by Strahan & Co., with black-and-white illustrations by Arthur Hughes. Strahan had published the story and illustrations as a serial in ...

''. It is her first ballet to include children, and was co-commissioned by

Atlanta Ballet Atlanta Ballet is a ballet company, located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the longest continuously performing ballet company in the United States and the State Ballet of Georgia. History Atlanta Ballet was founded in 1929 by Dorothy Alexander as ...

and

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

and performed by both companies. Tharp was the first Artist in Residency (A.I.R.) at

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. During this time she created and premiered ''Waiting At The Station'', a work with music by R&B artist

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

and sets and costumes by longtime collaborator

Santo Loquasto Santo Richard Loquasto (born July 26, 1944) is an American production designer, scenic designer, and costume designer for stage, film, and dance. His work has included the films ''Big'', ''Radio Days'', '' Cafe Society'', ''Blue Jasmine'', ''Desp ...

. A number of prominent fashion designers have designed costumes for Tharp, including

Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...

, and

Norma Kamali Norma Kamali ( Arraez; b. June 27, 1945) is an American fashion designer. She is best known for the "sleeping bag" coat, garments made from silk parachutes, and versatile multi-use pieces. Early life and education Norma Arraez was born on Jun ...

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 David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

at the

Winter Garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...

. ''Wheel'' was broadcast on PBS and its

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

released on LP. Her dance piece ''Fait Accompli'' to music by

David Van Tieghem David Van Tieghem (born April 21, 1955) is an American composer, percussionist and sound designer, best known for his philosophy of utilizing any available object as a percussion instrument and for his collaborations with the experimental artists ...

was released on the These Things Happen LP (1984). In 1985, her staging of ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

'' played at the Gershwin for 367 performances. Tharp premiered her dance musical '' Movin' Out'', set to the music and lyrics of

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

, 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. It received 10 Tony nominations and Tharp won Best Choreographer. Tharp opened a new show, '' The Times They Are a-Changin''', to the music of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

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). 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 Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

to mount ''Come Fly with Me'', which ran at the

Alliance Theater The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal T ...

in Atlanta and was the best-selling four-week run as of the date of closing in 2009. Renamed ''

Come Fly Away ''Come Fly Away'' is a dance revue conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, around the songs of Frank Sinatra. The musical, set in a New York City nightclub, follows four couples as they look for love. It premiered on Broadway in M ...

'', the show opened on Broadway in 2010 at the

Marquis Theatre The Marquis Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1986, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization. There are about ...

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.

Film and television

Tharp collaborated with film directors

Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...

on ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'' (1978), ''Ragtime'' (1980) and ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...

'' (1983);

Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for ''Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to direct ...

on ''

White Nights White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to: * White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles * White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held in ...

'' (1985); and James Brooks on ''

I'll Do Anything ''I'll Do Anything'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks. While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry, it also skewers relationships from various angles. Its primary plot concerns a dow ...

'' (1994). Television credits include choreographing ''Sue's Leg'' (1976) for the inaugural episode of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

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 BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

. Tharp co-directed the award-winning television special "Baryshnikov by Tharp" in 1984.

Author

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; and ''The Collaborative Habit'' (2009, Simon & Schuster), also translated into Thai, Chinese and Korean. Tharp indicated that ''The Creative Habit'' is about

cybernetics Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson m ...

, 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

muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...

, 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 Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

Works chronology

Dances/ballets/theatre

*Tank Dive 4/29/65 *Stage Show 7/7/65 *Stride 8/9/65 *Cede Blue Lake 12/1/65 *Unprocessed 12/1/65 *Re-Moves 10/18/66 *Twelve Foot Change 10/18/66 *One, Two, Three 2/2/67 *Jam 2/4/67 *Disperse 4/27/67 *Yancey Dance 7/1/67 *Three Page Sonata 7/6/67 *Forevermore 2/9/68 *Generation 2/9/68 *One Way 2/9/68 *Excess, Idle, Surplus 4/25/68 *Group Activities 1/13/69 *After Suite 2/2/69 *Medley 7/19/69 *Dancing In The Streets 11/11/69 *Sowing Of Seeds 6/7/70 *The Willie Smith Series 7/10/70 *Rose's Cross Country 8/1/70 *Fugue, The 8/1/70 *The One Hundreds 8/1/70 *11-Minute Abstract, Repertory 1965-70 11/16/70 *The History of Up and Down, I and II 1/22/71 *Sunrise, Noon, Sundown 5/28/71 *Mozart Sonata K.545 8/1/71 *Eight Jelly Rolls 9/16/71 *Torelli 11/2/71 *Piano Rolls 11/7/71 *The Bix Pieces 4/14/71 *The Raggedy Dances 10/26/72 *''

'' (ballet) 2/8/73 *As Time Goes By 10/10/73 *In the Beginnings 1/26/74 *All About Eggs 2/1/74 *The Fugue on London Weekend Television 4/22/74 *Twyla Tharp and Eight Jelly Rolls 5/12/74 *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 9/10/75 *Push Comes To Shove 1/9/76 *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 *Cacklin' Hen 2/14/77 *Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover 5/12/77 *Mud 5/12/77 *Simon Medley 5/12/77 *The Hodge Podge 5/12/77 *1903 2/2/79 *Chapters and Verses 2/2/79 *Baker's Dozen 2/15/79 *Three Dances From The Film "Hair" 2/15/79 *Three Fanfares 3/14/79 *Brahms Paganini 2/8/80 *Deuce Coupe III 2/8/80 *Assorted Quartets 7/29/80 *Third Suite 8/26/80 *Short Stories 8/27/80 *Uncle Edgar Dyed His Hair Red 2/28/81 *'' The Catherine Wheel'' 9/22/81 (music by

) *

Nine Sinatra Songs ''Nine Sinatra Songs'' is a ballet choreographed by Twyla Tharp to songs sung by Frank Sinatra. The ballet is danced by seven couples, portraying different stages of romantic relationships, with ballroom dancing incorporated into the choreography. ...

10/15/82 *Bad Smells 10/15/82 *The Little Ballet 4/1/84 *Telemann 11/4/83 *Fait Accompli 11/8/83 (music by

) *"The Golden Section" 11/8/83 (music by David Byrne) (also filmed for PBS) *Sinatra Suite 12/6/83 *Bach Partita 12/9/83 *'' Brahms/Handel'' (ballet), choreography by Tharp and

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

6/7/84 *Sorrow Floats 7/5/84 *Singin' in the Rain - Broadway 7/2/85 *''In The Upper Room'' 8/28/86 (music by

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

) *Ballare 8/30/86 *The Catherine Wheel III 2/2/87 *Quartet 2/4/89 *Bum's Rush 2/8/89 *Rules of the Game 2/17/89 *Everlast 2/21/89 *Brief Fling 2/28/90 *Grand Pas: Rhythm of the Saints 10/1/91 (music by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

) *Men's Piece 10/4/91 *Octet 10/4/91 *Sextet 1/30/92 *Cutting Up: A Dance Roadshow 11/27/93 *Bare Bones 11/27/93 *Pergolesi 6/4/93 *Demeter & Persephone 10/5/93 *Waterbaby Bagatelles 4/30/94 *"New Works" Twyla Tharp in Washington: Red, White & Blues" 9/13/94 *How Near Heaven 3/3/95 *Americans We 5/1/95 *Jump Start 5/1/95 *I Remember Clifford 8/9/95 *Mr. Worldly Wise 12/9/95 *The Elements 5/3/96 *Sweet Fields 9/20/96 *"66" 9/20/96 *Heroes 9/20/96 *Roy's Joys 8/18/97 *Story Teller, The 10/29/97 *Noir 1/30/98 *Yemaya 3/13/98 *Known By Heart Duet 8/6/98 *Diabelli 10/22/98 *Known By Heart 11/3/98 *The Junk Duet 11/3/98 *Grosse Sonate 7/1/98 *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 *Westerly Round 6/23/01 *'' Movin' Out'' - Chicago 6/25/02 *''Movin' Out'' - New York 10/24/02 *Even The King 1/11/03 *''Movin' Out'' - US Tour 1/27/04 *'' The Times They Are A-Changin''' - California 2/9/06 *Catherine Wheel Suite 5/11/06 *''The Times They Are A-Changin - New York 10/26/06 *NIGHTSPOT 3/28/08 *Rabbit and Rogue 6/3/08 (music by

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...

) *Opus 111 9/25/08 *Afternoon Ball 9/25/08 *Come Fly With Me 9/23/09 *''

'' 3/25/10 *Sinatra: Dance With Me - 12/11/10 *Armenia 4/23/11 *''Come Fly Away'' Tour 8/3/11 *Scarlatti 10/13/11 *The Princess and The Goblin - Atlanta 2/10/12 *The Princess and the Goblin - Winnipeg 10/17/12 *Treefrog in Stonehenge 07/26/13 *Waiting at the Station 09/27/13 *Come Fly Away (Ballet) 09/28/13 * Beethoven Opus 130 2016

Collaborative work

* '' Brahms/Handel'' with

6/7/84

Filmography

*''

'' 3/12/78 *''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

'' 1980 *''

'' 9/19/84 *''

'' 12/6/85 *''

'' 1994

Video

*''Scrapbook Tape'' 10/25/82 *''The Catherine Wheel'' 3/1/83 *''Baryshnikov by Tharp / Push Comes to Shove'' 10/5/84 *''Twyla Tharp: Oppositions'' 4/24/96

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

* Tharp, Twyla (December 1992), ''Push Comes to Shove'', Bantam Books, * Tharp, Twyla (September 29, 2003), ''The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life'', Simon & Schuster, * Tharp, Twyla (November 24, 2009), ''The Collaborative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life'', Simon & Schuster, * Tharp, Twyla (October 29, 2019), ''Keep It Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life'', Simon & Schuster,

Honors and awards

Tharp has received two Emmy Awards, 19 honorary doctorates, the

Vietnam Veterans of America Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. (VVA) is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that is committed to serving the needs of all veterans. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government. VVA is th ...

President's Award, the 2004

National Medal of the Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons ...

, and numerous grants, including a

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to ...

. She is a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

, the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, and an Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

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

Barnard Medal of Distinction The following is a list of notable individuals associated with Barnard College through attendance as a student, service as a member of the faculty or staff, or award of the Barnard Medal of Distinction. Notable alumnae Academics and scientists ...

. She received the

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

and the

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. Winners and nominees 1960s 1970s 1980s ...

for ''Movin' Out''. She received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Choreography for ''

''. Tharp was named a Kennedy Center Honoree for 2008. She was inducted into the

Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

in 1993. From 2013 to 2014, the Smithsonian

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

featured Tharp in the critically acclaimed "Dancing the Dream" exhibition as a pioneer of American

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

. On May 24, 2018, she was awarded the Doctor of Arts degree by

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 The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (also called the ''SoHo News'') was a weekly alternative newspaper published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. The paper was founded in 1973 by Michael Goldstein (1938–2018). History The first issue was published on ...

*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 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 *Honorary Doctorate, 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 The Princess Grace Foundation – USA is a charity organization named after Princess Grace of Monaco, which supports emerging performers in theater, dance, and film in the form of awards, grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The Foundation hol ...

– 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 *Woman of the Year Award, presented by Nevada State Ballet 2009 *''U.S. News & World Report'': listed on "America's Best Leaders" *Leadership at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government 2010 *The IAL Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts, presented by Columbia University's

The Varsity Show The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Colu ...

*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" *Rolex Dance Award 2011 *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, by whom she has a son, Jesse Huot, who acts as her business manager. She also has a grandson.

Citations

General and cited sources

* Siegel, Marcia B. ''Howling Near Heaven''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006.

External links

* * *
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

Alvin Ailey performing a ballet by Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp Biography and Interview on American Academy of Achievement
*

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the ...

br>(S35 Ep3) Twyla Moves
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tharp, Twyla 1941 births Living people American women choreographers American choreographers Barnard College alumni Drama Desk Award winners Primetime Emmy Award winners Kennedy Center honorees MacArthur Fellows Modern dancers People from Portland, Indiana Tony Award winners United States National Medal of Arts recipients Choreographers of American Ballet Theatre People from Rialto, California 20th-century American women writers Pomona College alumni Dancers from Indiana Writers from Indiana 21st-century American women writers Prix Benois de la Danse winners