Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer, who lives and works in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

Early years

Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana

Portland, Indiana

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,437 people, 2,739 households, and 1,750 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,566.8 people per square mile . There were 2,928 housing units at an average density of 712.7 per square mile...

, and was named after Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

.she spend hours working on it to help her parents.

When Tharp was a young child she spent a few months each year living with her Quaker grandparents on their farm in Indiana. In 1950 Tharp's family—younger sister Twanette, twin brothers Stanley and Stanford, mother Lecile and father William—moved to Rialto, California

Rialto, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Rialto had a population of 99,171. The population density was 4,434.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Rialto was 43,592 White, 16,236 African American, 1,062 Native American, 2,258 Asian, 361 Pacific Islander, 30,993 from other...

. Her parents opened a drive-in movie theater

Drive-in theater

A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...

, where Tharp worked from the time she was 8 years old. The drive-in was on the corner of Acacia and Foothill, the major east–west artery in Rialto and the path of Route 66

U.S. Route 66

U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...

. She attended Pacific High School in San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...

 and studied at the Vera Lynn

Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...

 School of Dance. Tharp, a "devoted bookworm," admits that this schedule left little time for a social life. Tharp attended Pomona College

Pomona College

Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...

 in California but later transferred to Barnard College

Barnard College

Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

 in New York City, where she graduated with a degree in Art History in 1963. It was in New York that she studied with Martha Graham

Martha Graham

Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...

 and Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham

Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...

. In 1963 Tharp joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company

Paul Taylor Dance Company

Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographer of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries" and still spends more than half of each...

.

Dances and ballets

In 1969, she formed her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often utilizes classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

, jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and contemporary pop music

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

. From 1971 to 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance performed original works around the world.

In 1973, Tharp choreographed Deuce Coupe to the music of The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

 for the Joffrey Ballet

Joffrey Ballet

The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...

. Deuce Coupe is considered to be the first crossover ballet. Later she choreographed Push Comes To Shove (1976), which featured Mikhail Baryshnikov

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...

 and is now thought to be the best example of the crossover ballet.

In 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance merged with American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...

, since which time ABT has held the world premieres of sixteen of Tharp's works. As of 2010, they have a total of twenty of her works in their repertory. Tharp has since choreographed dances for: Paris Opera Ballet

Paris Opera Ballet

The Paris Opera Ballet is the oldest national ballet company in the world, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it...

, The Royal Ballet

Royal Ballet, London

The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the four major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in 1931 by Dame Ninette de Valois, it became the resident ballet...

, New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...

, Boston Ballet

Boston Ballet

Boston Ballet, founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams, was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. Boston Ballet’s national and international reputation developed under the leadership of Artistic Directors Violette Verdy , Bruce Marks , and Anna-Marie Holmes...

, Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. Founded in 1972 as part of the Seattle Opera and named the Pacific Northwest Dance Association, it broke away from the Opera in 1977 and took its current name in 1978. It is said to have the highest per...

, Miami City Ballet

Miami City Ballet

Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida. It was created in 1986 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Edward Villella and flourishes today as one of America's most respected ballet companies...

, American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...

, Hubbard Street Dance

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is an American dance company based in Chicago. HSDC performs in downtown Chicago and its metropolitan area and tours nationally and internationally throughout the year....

 and Martha Graham Dance Company

Martha Graham

Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...

. Tharp also created the dance roadshow Cutting Up, (1991) with Mikhail Baryshnikov, which went on to tour and appeared in 28 cities over two months.

In the summer of 2000, Twyla Tharp Dance regrouped with entirely new dancers. Tharp Dance company performed Tharp's choreography around the world with a company of dancers and all were cast in Movin' Out

Movin' Out (musical)

Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...

, a musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel. Movin' Out received ten Tony nominations and Tharp was named Best Choreographer.
In 2006, Tharp choreographed and directed another musical, this time based on songs by Bob Dylan. The Times They Are A Changin was less of a success than than Movin' Out, but still a highly accomplished work.

Broadway

In 1980, Tharp's work first appeared on Broadway with Twyla Tharp Dance performing When We Were Very Young, followed in 1981 by The Catherine Wheel, her collaboration with David Byrne

David Byrne (musician)

David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...

 at the Winter Garden

Winter Garden Theatre

The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....

. "Wheel" was broadcast on PBS, and had its soudtrack

The Catherine Wheel (album)

The Catherine Wheel is David Byrne's musical score commissioned by Twyla Tharp for her dance project. The Catherine Wheel premiered September 22, 1981, at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City....

 released on LP.

In 1985, her staging of Singin' in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain (musical)

Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original...

, played at the Gershwin

George Gershwin Theatre

The Gershwin Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 51st Street in midtown-Manhattan in the Paramount Plaza building. The theatre is named after composer George Gershwin and lyricist Ira Gershwin...

 for 367 performances and was followed by a national tour.

Tharp premiered her dance musical Movin' Out

Movin' Out (musical)

Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...

, set to the music and lyrics of Billy Joel

Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

  in Chicago in 2001. The show opened on Broadway in 2002. Movin' Out

Movin' Out (musical)

Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...

 ran for 1,331 performances on Broadway. A national tour opened in January 2004.

Tharp opened a new show titled The Times They Are a-Changin'

The Times They Are A-Changin' (musical)

The Times They Are A-Changin' is a musical, conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp.Mixing the theatre, dance and the musical stylings of Bob Dylan, Twyla Tharp tells a coming-of-age story that takes place inside a low-rent traveling circus found within a dark and humorous dream...

, to the music of Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

 in 2005 at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The Times they are A-Changin set the records or the highest grossing show and highest ticket sales as of the date of closing (March 2006). It was also the first time a show received a second extension before the first preview. After this record setting run in California, the New York show ran for 35 previews and 28 performances.

In 2009, Tharp worked with the songs of Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

 to mount Come Fly With Me, which ran at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta and was the best selling four-week run as of the date of closing in 2009. Renamed Come Fly Away

Come Fly Away

Come Fly Away is a dance revue conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, around the songs of Frank Sinatra. The musical, set in a New York City nightclub, follows four couples as they look for love....

  the show opened on Broadway in 2010 at the Marquis Theatre

Marquis Theatre

The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...

 in New York and ran for 26 previews and 188 performances.

Film, television and print

Tharp collaborated with film directors Milos Forman

Miloš Forman

Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...

 on Hair

Hair (film)

Hair is a 1979 American film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center...

 (1978), Ragtime (1980) and Amadeus

Amadeus (film)

Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the...

 (1984); Taylor Hackford

Taylor Hackford

Taylor Edwin Hackford is an American film director, and the current president of the Directors Guild of America.-Early life:Hackford was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Mary , a waitress, and Joseph Hackford...

 on White Nights (1985) and James Brooks

James L. Brooks

James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...

 on I'll Do Anything

I'll Do Anything

I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American dramedy film written and directed by James L. Brooks. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter.-Synopsis:...

 (1994).

Television credits include choreographing Sue's Leg (1976) for the inaugural episode of the PBS program Dance in America,; co-producing and directing Making Television Dance (1977), which won the Chicago International Film Festival Award

Chicago International Film Festival

The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....

; and directing The Catherine Wheel (1983) for BBC Television

BBC Television

BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...

. Tharp co-directed the award-winning television special "Baryshnikov by Tharp" in 1984.

Tharp has written three books: an early autobiography, Push Comes to Shove (1992; Bantam Books); The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life (2003, Simon & Schuster), translated into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Thai and Japanese; “The Collaborative Habit” (2009, Simon & Schuster), also translated into Thai, Chinese and Korean.

Quote

"When I go into a studio I know exactly what I want, but never know quite how I'll get it. Each dance is a mystery story."

Dances/theatre

• Tank Dive 4/29/65
• Stage Show 6/7/65
• Stride 8/9/65
• Cede Blue Lake 12/1/65
• Unprocessed 12/1/65
• Re-Moves 10/29/66
• Yancey Dance AKA Twelve Foot Change 10/29/66
• One, Two, Three 2/2/67
• Jam 2/23/67
• Disperse 4/27/67
• Three Page Sonata 7/6/67
• Forevermore 8/27/67
• Generation 2/9/68
• One Way 2/9/68
• Excess, Idle, Surplus 4/29/68
• After Suite 2/3/69
• Group Activities 1/13/69
• Medley 7/19/69
• Dancing In The Streets 11/11/69
• PYMFFYPPMFYNM YPF 3/8/70
• Fugue, The 8/1/70
• Rose’s Cross Country 8/1/70
• The One Hundreds 8/1/70
• The History of Up and Down, I and II 1/22/71
• The Willie Smith Series 1/22/71
• Eight Jelly Rolls 1/22/71
• Mozart Sonata K.545 8/1/71
• Torelli 5/28/71
• The Bix Pieces 11/2/71
• The Raggedy Dances 10/26/72
• Deuce Coupe (ballet) 2/8/73
• As Time Goes By 10/10/73
• In the Beginnings 1/26/74
• Twyla Tharp and Eight Jelly Rolls 5/12/74
• All About Eggs 1974
• Bach Duet 9/5/74
• Deuce Coupe II 2/1/75
• Sue’s Leg 2/21/75
• The Double Cross 2/21/75
• Ocean’s Motion 6/22/75
• Rags Suite Duet 1975
• Push Comes To Shove 1/11/76
• Sue’s Leg, Remembering the Thirties 3/24/76
• Give and Take 3/25/76
• Once More Frank 7/12/76
• Country Dances 9/4/76
• Happily Ever After 11/3/76
• After All 11/15/76
• Mud 5/12/77
• Simon Medley 5/12/77
• Cacklin’ Hen 5/12/77
• 1903 2/15/79
• Chapters and Verses 2/15/79
• Baker’s Dozen 2/15/79
• Three Fanfares 2/1/80
• Brahms Paganini 3/24/80
• When We Were Very Young 3/26/80
• Assorted Quartets 7/29/80
• Short Stories 9/29/80
• Third Suite 8/26/80
• Uncle Edgar Dyed His Hair Red 5/1/81
• The Catherine Wheel 9/22/81 (music by David Byrne
  David Byrne (musician)
  David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
  
  )
• Nine Sinatra Songs 10/14/82
• Bad Smells 10/15/82
• Fait Accompli 11/9/83
• "The Golden Section" 11/9/83 (music by David Byrne) (also filmed for PBS)
• Telemann 11/4/83
• The Little Ballet 4/1/84
• Brahms/Handel
  Brahms/Handel
  Brahms/Handel is a ballet made by New York City Ballet balletmaster Jerome Robbins in collaboration with Twyla Tharp to Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op. 24 , orchestrated by Edmund Rubbra...
  
   (ballet), choreography by Tharp and Jerome Robbins
  Jerome Robbins
  Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
  
   6/7/84
• Sorrow Floats 7/7/84
• Bach Partita 12/9/83
• Sinatra Suite 4/1/84
• Singin’ in the Rain - Broadway 7/2/85
• In The Upper Room 8/28/86
• Ballare 8/30/86
• Quartet 2/4/89
• Bum’s Rush 2/8/89
• Rules of the Game 2/17/89
• Everlast 3/2/89
• Brief Fling 2/28/90
• Grand Pas: Rhythm of the Saints 10/1/91
• Men’s Piece 10/4/91
• Octet 10/4/91
• Sextet 1/30/92
• Cutting Up: A Dance Roadshow 6/15/93
• Demeter & Persephone 10/5/93
• Pergolesi 5/14/93
• Bare Bones 1993
• Waterbaby Bagatelles 4/30/94
• “New Works” Twyla Tharp in Washington: Red, White & Blues” 9/13/94
• Noir 9/13/94
• How Near Heaven 3/3/95
• Americans We 5/1/95
• Jump Start 5/1/95
• I Remember Clifford 8/10/95
• Mr. Worldly Wise 12/9/95
• The Elements 3/5/96
• Sweet Fields 9/20/96
• “66” 9/20/96
• Heroes 9/20/96
• Story Teller, The 10/29/97
• Roy’s Joys 8/20/97
• Moondog 2/21/98
• Yemaya 6/21/98
• Sam & Mary 2/21/98
• Diabelli 9/7/98
• Known By Heart 11/3/98
• Hammerklavier I 7/4/99
• Hammerklavier II 6/23/01
• Beethoven Seventh 1/22/00
• The Brahms/Haydn Variations aka: Variations on a Theme by Haydn 3/21/00
• Mozart Clarinet Quintet K. 581 7/6/00
• Surfer At The River Styx 7/6/00
• Known By Heart Duet 6/23/01
• Westerly Round 6/23/01
• Movin’ Out
  Movin' Out (musical)
  Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...
  
   - Chicago 6/25/02
• Movin’ Out - New York 10/24/02
• Movin' Out - US Tour 1/27/04
• Movin' Out - London 6/13/07
• Movin' Out - Troika Tour 6/13/07
• Even The King 1/11/03
• Catherine Wheel Suite 5/11/06
• Armenia (duets 2005) 1/26/08
• The Times They Are A-Changin'
  The Times They Are A-Changin' (musical)
  The Times They Are A-Changin' is a musical, conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp.Mixing the theatre, dance and the musical stylings of Bob Dylan, Twyla Tharp tells a coming-of-age story that takes place inside a low-rent traveling circus found within a dark and humorous dream...
  
   - California 2/9/06
• The Times They Are A-Changin - New York 10/27/06
• NIGHTSPOT 3/28/08
• Rabbit and Rogue 6/3/08
• Brahms Opus 111 9/25/08
• Afternoon Ball 9/25/08
• Come Fly With Me 9/23/09
• Come Fly Away
  Come Fly Away
  Come Fly Away is a dance revue conceived, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, around the songs of Frank Sinatra. The musical, set in a New York City nightclub, follows four couples as they look for love....
  
  3/25/10
• Sinatra: Dance With Me - 12/11/10

Film

• Hair
  Hair (film)
  Hair is a 1979 American film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center...
  
  3/12/78
• Ragtime
  Ragtime (film)
  Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
  
    1980
• Amadeus
  Amadeus (film)
  Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the...
  
    9/19/84
• White Nights 12/6/85
• I'll Do Anything
  I'll Do Anything
  I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American dramedy film written and directed by James L. Brooks. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter.-Synopsis:...
  
  1994

Video

• Scrapbook Tape 10/25/82
• The Catherine Wheel 3/1/83
• Baryshnikov by Tharp / Push Comes to Shove 10/5/84

Television

• The Bix Pieces (series of productions) 1973
• Making Television Dance 10/4/77
• Dance Is A Man’s Sport Too 1980
• Confessions of a Cornermaker 10/13/81
• Catherine Wheel, PBS

Books

• Push Comes To Shove
• The Creative Habit 9/29/03
• The Collaborative Habit 11/24/09

Honors and awards

Twyla Tharp received two Emmy Awards, 19 honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America

Vietnam Veterans of America

Vietnam Veterans of America Inc. is a national non-profit corporation founded in 1978 in the United States that promotes the interests of United States military veterans of the Vietnam War era. It is funded without any contribution from any branch of government...

 President’s Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts

National Medal of Arts

The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...

, and numerous grants including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship

MacArthur Fellows Program

The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...

. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

 and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

At the 1982 Barnard College commencement ceremonies, Tharp's alma mater

Alma mater

Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...

 awarded her its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction.

She received the Tony Award for Best Choreography

Tony Award for Best Choreography

-1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls...

 and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography

-1970s:* 1970: Ron Field – Applause** No nominees* 1971: Michael Bennett – Follies and Donald Saddler – No, No, Nanette** No nominees* 1972: Patricia Birch – Grease and Jean Erdman – Two Gentlemen of Verona...

 for the 2002 musical Movin' Out. She received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Choreography for the musical Singin' in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...

.

She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree

Kennedy Center Honors

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The Honors have been presented annually since 1978 in Washington, D.C., during gala weekend-long events which culminate in a performance for—and...

 for 2008.

Tharp was inducted into the Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement

The Academy of Achievement is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization founded in 1961 by photographer Hy Peskin. He established the Academy of Achievement to bring aspiring young people together with accomplished people...

 in 1993.

Awards by year

1965

• Walter Gutman

1969

• George Irwin
• The Lepercq Foundation

1970

• Foundation for the Contemporary Performing Arts, 1970
• Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, John S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
• The Emma A. Sheafer Trust, 1970–1981, 1985

1971

• John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 1971, 1974
• National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, 1971, 1973
• New York State Council on the Arts Annual Support, 1971–1986

1972

• Brandeis University, Creative Arts Citation

1973

• National Endowment for the Arts Annual Support, 1973–1986

1974

• Creative Artists Public Service Program
• Edward John Nobel Foundation
• New York Public Library Dance Collection
• The Place Trust, London
• The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, 1974–1978, 1982, 1983, 1986

1975

• Eight Jelly Rolls, 1st in Festival in Video and Modern Dance Video Certificate of Honor
• Making Television Dance, Modern Dance Video Certificate of Merit

1976

• Mademoiselle Magazine, Mademoiselle Magazine Award
• Exxon Corporation, 1976, 1980, 1982–1984, 1986

1977

• The Green Fund, 1977, 1980, 1981
• National Endowment for the Arts Challenge Grant, 1977, 1985
• The Shubert Foundation, 1977, 1978, 1980–1986

1978

• Dance Film Association, 7th Annual Dance Video and Film Festival
• Honorary Degree, California Institute of the Arts
• Silver Satellite Award for Making Television Dance, American Women in Radio & Television
• The Ford Foundation, 1978, 1980
• The Ford Motor Company, 1978–1985
• The Surdna Foundation, 1978, 1980, 1985

1979

• Soho Arts Second Annual Awards, The Soho Weekly News
• Honorary Degree, Bucknell University
• The Scherman Foundation, 1979, 1980, 1982–1985
• United Artists
• The David Merrick Arts Foundation
• Mobil Foundation, Inc., 1979, 1981–1986

1980

• Honorary Degree, Bates College
• Dance Educators of America Award for Making Television Dance
• Screening and Red Ribbon Award for Making Television Dance
• The Booth Ferris Foundation
• Chase Manhattan Bank, 1980–1982
• Con Ed, 1980–1985
• Morgan Guarantee Trust, 1980–1981, 1983–1984, 1986
• The Jerome Robbins Foundation, 1980, 1983

1981

• Film Library Association American Film Festival
• Honorary Degree, Bard College
• Honorary Degree, Brown University
• Dance Magazine Award, Dance Magazine
• Dance Film Award for Making Television Dance, Chicago International Film Festival
• Indiana Arts Award, Indiana Arts Commission
• Citibank, 1981–1986
• Doll Foundation, 1981–1986
• Weil Foundation
• Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation
• Rockefeller Foundation

1982

• Medal of Distinction, Barnard College
• Chemical Bank, 1982–1986
• National Corporate Fund for Dance, 1982–1985
• Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
• Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation, 1982, 1986
• New York Telephone, 1982–1985

1983

• Spirit of Achievement Award, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Honorary Degree, Williams College
• Indiana Arts Award, Indiana Arts Commission
• The Thorne Foundation
• Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, 1983–1984, 1986
• C.L. Glazer Trust
• The Klingenstein Fund
• Warner Communications

1984

• Mayor's Award of Honor for Arts and Culture, Edward I. Koch, New York City
• Dance Masters of America 1984 Choreographer's Award
• Arthur Andersen and Company, 1984–1986
• Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission
• Booth Ferris Foundation
• Brooklyn Union and Gas
• Merrill Lynch, 1984, 1986
• New York Times Company Foundation, 1984–1986

1985

• Emmy Awards for Baryshnikov by Tharp choreography and co-direction, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
• Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Baryshnikov by Tharp
• Indiana Arts Award, Indiana Arts Commission
• APA Trucking
• The Charles Engelhard Foundation
• Corporate Property Investors
• Hausman Belding Foundation
• Gerald D. Hines Interests
• GFI/Knoll International
• NBC, 1985–1986
• Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, 1985, 1986
• Zayre Corporation

1986

• University Medal of Excellence, Columbia University
• Bankers Trust
• Cadillac Fairview
• MCA
• Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company
• Ridgewood Energy Corporation

1987

• Honorary Degree, Indiana University
• Honorary Degree, Pomona College
• Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement

1988

• Honorary Degree, Hamilton College
• Honorary Degree, Skidmore College

1989

• Honorary Degree, Marymount Manhattan College
• Lions of the Performing Arts Award, New York Public Library

1990

• Samuel M. Scripps Award, American Dance Festival

1991

• Laurence Olivier Award for In the Upper Room, Laurence Olivier Foundation
• Wexner Foundation Award, The Ohio State University Wexner Center for the Arts

1992

• MacArthur Fellowship, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Ruth Page Visiting Arts, Harvard University, 1992–1993

1993

• Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement
• Woman of Achievement, Barnard College
• Inducted, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

1996

• Arts Award, Dickinson College
• Honorary Degree, Ball State University
• Distinguished Artist Award, International Society For The Performing Arts

1997

• American Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts and Letters

1998

• Trust for Mutual Understanding

1999

• MOCA Award to Distinguished Women In The Arts, Museum Of Contemporary Art

2000

• The Doris Duke Awards for New Work

2001

• Women’s Project & Productions Exceptional Achievement Award

2002

• New York Awards Lifetime Achievement

2003

• Drama Desk Award Outstanding Choreography: Movin' Out
  Movin' Out (musical)
  Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...
  
  
• Tony Award Best Choreography: Movin' Out
• Drama League Outstanding Achievement Award for Musical Theatre
• TDF/Astaire Award Best Choreographer: Movin' Out
• Indiana Living Legend, Indiana Historical Society
• Glamour Woman of the Year Award
• Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award North Carolina School of the Arts

2004

• National Medal of Arts
• Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts
• Independent Reviewers of New England Award Best Choreography: Movin' Out. Broadway in Boston
• Goddard Space Flight Center’s Center Director’s Colloquium Citation for Enlightening, Creative and Thought-Provoking Presentation

2005

• Best Choreography: Movin' Out. Touring Broadway Awards
• Jane Addams Medal for Distinguished Service presented by Rockford College

2006

• Princess Grace Award – Outstanding Artistry
• Critics Circle Dance Award Outstanding Choreography: Movin' Out. London

2007

• Honorary Degree Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
• Honorary Degree Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
• Touring Broadway Award: Best Choreography for a touring show for Movin' Out

2008

• The Jerome Robbins Prize
• The Kennedy Center Honors

2009

• US News & World Report: listed on "America's Best Leaders"

2010

• The IAL Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts, presented by Columbia University's The Varsity Show
• The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreographer: Come Fly Away
• Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences
• Suzi Bass Award for Best Choreography: "Come Fly With Me"

External links

• Twyla Tharp official site
• Archival footage of Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs in 1993 at Jacob's Pillow
• Twyla Tharp performing The One Hundreds in 2001 at Jacob's Pillow