Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer. She has won Emmy and Tony awards, and currently works as a choreographer in New York City.
She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1991 (1990 season) for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for choreographing American Ballet Theatres production of In The Upper Room.
She was nominated for a 1999 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her companys 1998 season in BITE:98.
Won Broadways 2003 Tony Award as Best Choreographer for "Movin Out," a production for which she also received a Best Director nomination.
She was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2004 for her services to dance in America from the National Endowment for the Arts of the United States.
On art: Art is an investigation.
In every good work of art there is a huge story, whether it is a Matisse,cutout at the end his life or a portrait at the beginning. The story,has to do with guts and vitality.
Life is about moving, it’s about change. And when things stop doing that they’re dead.
Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature – all are lottery tickets for creativity. Scratch away at them and you’ll find out how big a prize you’ve won.
Creativity is an act of defiance.
If art is the bridge between what you see in your mind and what the world sees, then skill is how you build that bridge.
Reading is your first line of defense against an empty head.
You don’t get lucky without preparation, and there’s no sense in being prepared if you’re not open to the possibility of a glorious accident.
Here’s how I learned to improvise: I played some music in the studio and I started to move. It sounds obvious, but I wonder how many people, whatever their medium, appreciate the gift of improvisation. It’s your one opportunity in life to be completely free, with no responsibilities and no consequences. You don’t have to be good or even interesting. It’s you alone, with no one watching or judging. If anything comes of it, you decide whether the world gets to see it. In essence, you are giving yourself permission to daydream during working hours.
Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.
I think a sense of humor will help get a girl out of a dark place.
Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways.
Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits.
I feel I can handle the architecture of dance as well as anybody.
Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism.
What we want from modern dance is courage and audacity.
