Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharpis an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966, she formed her own company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often utilizes classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDancer
Date of Birth1 July 1941
CityPortland, IN
CountryUnited States of America
artist best bits enter happen hope people pieces pull served
No artist is well served in thinking what will happen to their works. The best one can hope is that they'll enter the mainstream, and people will pull bits and pieces from them.
impulses logic needs people piece prompt unable
'Bum's Rush' is a piece about timing, and everything that's in the piece needs to be with the piece. If people are missing, or marking, or unable to use their voices, the impulses that prompt the action are lost, and its logic crumbles.
drives next open piece point success ultimate
The ultimate point of a piece for me is that it drives the next one. Does it open new doors? That's the success of a piece.
mother children pieces
With each piece I've completed I have worked to make it intact, and each of them has been an equal high. It's like children. A mother refuses to pick out one as a favorite, and I can't do any better with the dances.
bob listened recordings
As is my wont, I did my research. I listened to all the recordings and I read everything about Bob I could find.
dance stupid thinking
It is extremely arrogant and very foolish to think that you can ever outwit your audience.
dream upside-down turns
In dreams, anything can be anything, and everybody can do. We can fly, we can turn upside down, we can transform into anything.
art dancing meaning serious toe
When I was a kid, toe dancing and toe shoes had a meaning in our culture as a serious kind of art.
courage
What we want from modern dance is courage and audacity.
I do at least 75 push-ups a day.
terrifying
Nothing is more terrifying to me, really, than the status quo. I'll make mistakes before I keep doing something the same way.
care english enjoy
I don't hate language. I have my own language, but I also enjoy the English language. Obviously, you don't read a lot of literature and not care about language.
figures guiding modern people spend
When I look at the people who are the guiding figures in modern dance, I think, 'This does not look to me like the way I want to spend my days.'
clear dancers forget image strong technique themselves willing
I look for dancers who have all the technique in the world. But they must be dancers who are open-minded, who are willing to forget that they know anything. They also have to be gorgeous; they must have a clear image of themselves and strong personalities.