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
inspirational exercise reflection
No one is born with skill. It is developed through exercise, through repetition, through a blend of learning and reflection that's both painstaking and rewarding. And it takes time.
life-and-love moving life-is
Life is about moving, it’s about change. And when things stop doing that they’re dead.
creativity nuts innovation
The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts.
inspirational creativity thinking
There's a paradox in the notion that creativity should be a habit. We think of creativity as a way of keeping everything fresh and new, while habit implies routine and repetition. That paradox intrigues me because it occupies the place where creativity and skill rub up against each other.
commitment saws sticks
But obligation, I eventually saw, is not the same as commitment, and it's certainly not an acceptable reason to stick with something that isn't working
dance dream becoming-the-best
I also had a will that let me eliminate everything that stood in the way of my becoming the best dancer I could be. By a gradual process... (I) had invested every bit of my dreams, my hopes, my energies in defining myself as a dancer.
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.
dance knows know-how
I do everything I know how in a dance.
dance stupid thinking
It is extremely arrogant and very foolish to think that you can ever outwit your audience.
dance moving thinking
I would have to challenge the term, modern dance. I don't really use that term in relation to my work. I simply think of it as dancing. I think of it as moving.
sports baseball play
The content and thematic materials of dance is, of itself, like boxing. You play tennis and baseball. But boxing is not a sport you play: you stand up and do it.
judgment
Judgment is not my business. Existing is my business.
optimistic optimism experience
Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism.
inspirational creative routine
The routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightening bold of inspiration, maybe more. And this routine is available to everyone.