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
consequences hit looks needs next sell stands tickets work worked
The artist doesn't really think about consequences - he or she does the work, stands back and looks at and thinks, 'Hmm, that could have worked better like this.' But as a person who needs to sell tickets to do the next work, one needs to analyze how it does or does not hit its mark.
side
When I was a kid, the avant-garde to me was boring because it was just the flip side of being really successful.
deformed element harder hours nobody popular portrait quill spent time worked
Nobody worked harder than Mozart. By the time he was twenty-eight years old, his hands were deformed because of all the hours he had spent practicing, performing, and gripping a quill pen to compose. That's the missing element in the popular portrait of Mozart.
I am still pushing the edge of what my body can do.
alone basically obviously solitary survive surviving work
'The Creative Habit' is basically about how you work alone, how you survive as a solitary artist. 'The Collaborative Habit' is obviously about surviving with other people.
best ditch
My father always said, 'I don't care if you're a ditch digger, as long as you're the best ditch digger in the world.'
represents
My dancers expect me to deliver because my choreography represents their livelihood.
age
This is the strange thing: Dancers don't age.
brush generate ideas pencil
You can only generate ideas when you put pencil to paper, brush to canvas... when you actually do something physical.
morning people
People often say to me, 'I don't know anything about dance.' I say, 'Stop. You got up this morning, and you're walking. You are an expert.'
art
Dance is the most fundamental of all art forms.
against dig odds sit tunnel turn work
To survive, you've got to keep wheedling your way. You can't just sit there and fight against odds when it's not going to work. You have to turn a corner, dig a hole, go through a tunnel - and find a way to keep moving.
ballet came classes dancers great maybe study took
At the ballet classes I took when I first came to New York, I would see great dancers like Cynthia Gregory and Lupe Serrano. I would look at them and study what they could do, and what I couldn't do. And then I'd think maybe they should try what I could do.
best creativity good result work
Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits.