Why I care...

Why I care about Twyla Tharp is because she inspires me to do what I love, which is dance. She is at the forefront of putting dance in mainstream America. This can be seen in her work that she has done in film and Broadways as well as her continuation of choreographic endeavors in dance companies today. What her work means to me is that she can create work that can be done with contemporary and ballet dancers. When watching the work she has done she really has shown the dance world how well she can choreograph. When I see her work she uses so much technique and skill for her movement that her audience never loses their attention. She is a prominent dance figure in contemporary dance history, and this is one reason why the public should take note of her artistry. She has really mixed together modern, jazz, and ballet within her works. Not only did she create it for herself and her dancers, but for her audience as well. Twyla has created work like no one else. Her virtuosic way of choreographing captivates the audience and keeps them engaged to see what happens next. She has so much partnering, grouping, unison, and forms of all dance. What links between her and the current dance scene would be that she makes her dance for the audience and have it be flashy for her audience to remember. She has also paved the way for many artists going in and setting new and old work on ballet companies, schools/universities, and so much more. Her work has since been world wide and is still being shown today.

Twyla's Heart for Dance

When looking at all of the works that Twyla Tharp has worked on in her career thus far as really made an impact on the dance world that we see today. Her contribution to dance has not only been seen on stage performed by a modern, jazz, and ballet companies, but has also been seen in film and Broadway. She has opened the door for many artist to show that they can do more than one style of work and can share their love and talents with many throughout the world. She has not only worked in the United States but in Europe and Australia as well. Her work has many different aspects to it. She used a lot of space, partnering, entering and exiting for the stage, and so much more. Her work has similar technical styles in all of her work, but she using all forms of music, props, lighting, and costuming to make everything unique and creative in her own way. Twyla’s work can be described to have a more gestural, corky, twist to her movement. She uses many jumps and leaps for her dancers, yet you can still see the classical movement within her works. They pieces that she has done can really show what was going on in the time through her movement like the disco style in "The Golden Section", and the ballroom style and partner dancing in the "Sinatra Suite" with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Her work has inspired so many companies throughout the world that is why it is still being set on companies and still inspiring many young artist like myself.

Update from Class...

When going back and doing some research on some of Twyla Tharp's performances that we watched in class I found that "The Golden Section" premiered on November 9, 1983 with her original company Twyla Tharp Dance. This piece has been recreated for: Hubbard Street Dance Company in 1991, Rambert Dance Company in 1999, Kansas City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Alivin Ailey Dance Foundstion all in 2006, Ballet Austin, Ballet Arizona, and Louisville Ballet in 2007, and Miami City Ballet again in 2010.

"In the Upper Room", was first premiered on August 28, 1986 with only her dance company. It has been recreated on over 25 dance companies from 1992-today. On her website she does has two reviews that where written about this piece. That you can read when you visit this link.

http://www.twylatharp.org/archive/dance_page.asp?danceSelected=85