Tharp, Twyla

Tharp, Twyla
born July 1, 1941, Portland, Ind., U.S.

U.S. dancer, director, and choreographer.

She danced with Paul Taylor's company from 1963 to 1965, when she formed her own troupe and began to choreograph works such as Deuce Coupe (1973), Push Comes to Shove (1976), Baker's Dozen (1979), Nine Sinatra Songs (1982), and Fait Accompli (1984). In 1988 she disbanded her company and was resident choreographer with the American Ballet Theatre (1988–91). She has also choreographed for the Broadway theatre (including The Catherine Wheel, 1981) and several films (including Hair, 1979, and Amadeus, 1984). Tharp is notable for her humour and particularly for having been one of the first American choreographers to use popular music.

Twyla Tharp.

© Jack Mitchell

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▪ American dancer and choreographer
born July 1, 1941, Portland, Indiana, U.S.
 
 popular American dancer, director, and choreographer noted for her innovation and for the humour she brought to much of her work.

      Tharp grew up in her native Portland, Indiana, and in Los Angeles; her childhood included comprehensive training in music and dance. While a student at Barnard College, she studied at the American Ballet Theatre School and received instruction from Richard Thomas, Martha Graham (Graham, Martha), and Merce Cunningham (Cunningham, Merce), among others. In 1963, shortly before her graduation from Barnard, she joined the Paul Taylor (Taylor, Paul) Dance Company, where she soon established herself as a dancer of considerable talent and imagination. In 1965 she formed her own troupe.

      Tharp's first publicly performed piece of choreography, Tank Dive, was presented in 1965 at Hunter College. Over the next several years she choreographed numerous pieces, many of which employed street clothes, a bare stage, and no music. With her offbeat, technically precise explorations of various kinds and combinations of movements, she built a small but devoted following. In 1971 Tharp adopted jazz music and began creating dances that appealed to larger audiences. Her choreography retained its technical brilliance, often overlaid with an air of nonchalance, while its touches of flippant humour became more marked. Her pieces, most notably The Fugue (1970), Deuce Coupe (1973), Push Comes to Shove (1976), and Baker's Dozen (1979), established Tharp as one of the most innovative and popular modern choreographers. In addition, she created pieces for motion pictures such as Hair (1979), Ragtime (1981), and Amadeus (1984). In 1988 she disbanded her company and joined the American Ballet Theatre, where she served as artistic associate until 1990. Tharp's autobiography, Push Comes to Shove, was published in 1992.

      See also Tharp's Sidebar: On Technology and Dance.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tharp,Twyla — Tharp (thärp), Twyla. Born 1941. American dancer and choreographer whose works, such as Deuce Coupe (1973), combine jazz, tap, ballet, and modern dance. * * * …   Universalium

  • Tharp, Twyla — (n. 1 jul. 1941, Portland, Ind., EE.UU.). Bailarina, directora y coreógrafa estadounidense. Bailó en la compañía de Paul Taylor de 1963 a 1965; después formó su propio grupo y empezó a componer la coreografía de obras como Deuce Coupe (1973),… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Twyla Tharp — (1 de julio, 1941, Portland) es una coreógrafa, ex bailarina y directora de danza estadounidense. Bailó con la Paul Taylor Dance Company desde 1963 hasta 1965, que fue cuando formó su propia compañía de danza, iniciando a coreografiar ballets… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Tharp — noun innovative United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1941) • Syn: ↑Twyla Tharp • Instance Hypernyms: ↑dancer, ↑professional dancer, ↑terpsichorean, ↑choreographer * * * [THärp] Twyla, (1941 ) U.S. dancer and choreographer. She… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Twyla Tharp — Twila Thornburg Naissance 1er juillet 1941 Portland dans l’Indiana, États Unis …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Twyla Tharp — (2004) Twyla Tharp (* 1. Juli 1941 in Portland, Indiana/USA) ist eine Choreografin und Ballettmeisterin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Tharp — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: John Tharp (1736–1804), britischer Pflanzer und Sklavenhalter auf Jamaika Marie Tharp (* 1920), US amerikanische Wissenschaftlerin Twyla Tharp (* 1941), US amerikanische Choreografin und Ballettmeisterin… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Twyla Tharp — ➡ Tharp * * * …   Universalium

  • Tharp —   [θɑːp], Twyla, amerikanische Tänzerin und Choreographin, * Portland (Indiana) 1. 7. 1942; studierte u. a. bei Martha Graham, A. Nikolais, M. Cunningham und P. Taylor, bevor sie 1965 ein vorwiegend aus Tänzerinnen bestehendes Ensemble gründete;… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Tharp — Not to be confused with Thorp. Tharp is a surname, and may refer to: *Aran Tharp (b. 1977), American avant garde musician *John Tharp (1744–1804), Jamaican property owner *Kenneth Tharp (contemporary), English dance artist *Marie Tharp… …   Wikipedia

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