In 1966, she formed her own company Twyla Tharp Dance. Tharp's work first appeared on Broadway in 1980 with WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG, followed by her collaboration with musician David Byrne on THE CATHERINE WHEEL and later by SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. In 1970, she served as resident teacher at the University of Massachusetts, one of a number of short-term teaching assignments she undertook in that time frame under the sponsorship of state and national art councils.Shortly after leaving the Taylor group in 1965, Tharp began choreographing pieces for her own company of four female dancers, including herself.
The Tharp family owned and operated a drive-in movie theater in Rialto, California, and Twyla attended school in nearby San Bernardino. By combining different forms of movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing and inventions of her own making – Ms. Tharp’s work expands the boundaries of ballet and modern dance.Her television credits include choreographing SUE'S LEG for the inaugural episode of PBS' DANCE IN AMERICA IN 1976, co-producing and directing MAKING TELEVISION DANCE, and directing THE CATHERINE WHEEL for BBC Television. "American dancer and iconoclastic, considered to be the greatest modern dance choreographer since Martha Graham. Her work often utilizes classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. About. Ms. Tharp co-directed the television special BARYSHNIKOV BY THARP.Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Ms. Tharp has choreographed more than one hundred sixty works: one hundred twenty-nine dances, twelve television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows and two figure skating routines. In July 1969, she devised "Medley" for the New London Connecticut College’s American Dance Festival. By the time she was four, she was dancing as well, beginning with tap dancing, and eventually adding ballet, acrobatic and baton lessons. They divorced, and she has a son, Jesse (1970? She has also worked with Taylor Hackford on WHITE NIGHTS and James Brooks on I'LL DO ANYTHING.Today, Ms. Tharp continues to create.In addition to choreographing for her own company, she has created dances for The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Boston Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Following her high school graduation, she enrolled at Barnard College in New York City. In film, Ms. Tharp has collaborated with director Milos Forman on HAIR, RAGTIME and AMADEUS. Prior to graduating from Barnard, she joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and remained there for about a year, quickly establishing herself as a promising talent.On 2/08/1973, her troupe performed "Deuce Coupe" which met with immediate critical and popular success, as it was seen to, in the words of one critic, "bridge the seemingly contradictory worlds of modern dance experimentation, pop and ballet. She continued to create imaginative new work and by the end of 1967, she had premiered nine new works with her troupe.In later years, she took on a 22-city tour at age 51 with legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov, 44 at the time, for whom she had choreographed in the ‘70s.She had one youthful marriage and divorce, then in the late ‘60s a second marriage to Robert Huot, an artist who costumed her company for its first five years. Born the oldest child of Indiana Quakers, young Tharp began taking piano lessons when she was two years old.
She received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, nineteen honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor.