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
bar features films four grew learned meant saw silent snack stories theater time watching
I grew up in a drive-in theater, from the time I was 8, working in a snack bar watching four features every week. It was silent theater in the sense that this was a drive-in, which meant that I often saw the films going with no sound. But I learned to tell stories through action.
ballet companies fund money raising sponsors
It's very difficult for me to do fund raising for my own organization if I'm working for other companies because sponsors will say, 'Well, hey, man, if she's doing a ballet for Ballet Theatre, we'll give money to Ballet Theatre.'
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.
danced days everybody garbage kinds none wrong
I used to say to myself, 'Well, in the old days everybody danced because they loved to dance, and there was none of this professional garbage going on about how much can you get for this or that or the other, or any of the kinds of things that insecurity can sometimes promote. Sometimes it's for the wrong reasons.'
music
What is music about? You can't listen to one era, one composer, and know what music is about.
attending audience classes divide people whether
Dance should not just divide people into audience and performers. Everyone should be a participant, whether going to classes or attending special events or rehearsals.
included pops
Everything present is included in the past somewhere; nobody's present pops out of nowhere.
business existing
I don't judge. Judgment is not my business. Existing is my business.
In circuses, there is a lot of magic. Things become other things.
hard work
It's very important to work myself physically as hard as I can.
breed women
Balzac loved courtesans. They were independent women, and in the 19th century, that was a breed that was just evolving.
Broadway has some very tight expectations as to what a show is.
component
Counterpoint is a component that gives real energy, and it is about optimism.
critics looked simply
Critics should be looked at simply as commentators.