About Twyla Tharp, Choreographer
Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Twyla 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. 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. Her many grants include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In 1965, Tharp founded her dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance. Her dances are known for creativity, wit and technical precision coupled with a streetwise nonchalance. By combining different forms of movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing and inventions of her own making – Tharp’s work expands the boundaries of ballet and modern dance.
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. Today, ballet and dance companies around the world continue to perform Tharp’s works.
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 2002, Ms. Tharp’s dance musical Movin' Out, set to the music and lyrics of Billy Joel. Tharp later worked with Bob Dylan’s music and lyrics in The Times They Are A-Changin’ and Come Fly Away, set to songs sung by Frank Sinatra.
In film, Tharp has collaborated with director Milos Forman on Hair, Ragtime and AMADEUS. She has also worked with Taylor Hackford on White Nights and James Brooks on I'll Do Anything.
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. Tharp co-directed the television special Baryshnikov By Tharp.
In 1992, she published her autobiography Push Comes To Shove. She went on to write The Creative Habit: Learn It And Use It For Life, followed by The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons For Working Together. In 2019, her fourth book was published, Keep It Moving: Lessons For The Rest Of Your Life.
Today, Tharp continues to create.
About Third Coast Percussion
With nearly two decades of exciting and unexpected performances to its name, Chicago-based percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is the first percussion ensemble to win a Grammy Award. Also nominated for a Grammy as a composer collective, Third Coast recasts the classical musical experience with a brilliantly varied sonic palette, crafting music to “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR). The ensemble celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. In its latest Grammy nomination, TCP’s 2023 album Between Breaths has been nominated under Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Passionate about connecting with its audience, Third Coast has been praised for the “rare power” (The Washington Post) of more than 30 recordings and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Bringing their compelling programs worldwide, TCP has toured widely across the U.S. and four continents. Its four members are also accomplished teachers who have collectively developed a wealth of K-12 workshops and family programming.
Third Coast has produced exciting new art through unlikely collaborations with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and musicians from classical, rock and traditional genres. The quartet has served as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (2013-2018) and Denison University (current).
Highly collaborative in its commissioning process, TCP has commissioned and premiered new works from Augusta Read Thomas, Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, Jlin, Clarice Assad, Gemma Peacocke, Flutronix, Danny Elfman, Tyondai Braxton, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Georg Friedrich Haas, Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, Christopher Cerrone and David T. Little, plus numerous up-and-coming composers through their Currents Creative Partnership program. Jlin’s Perspective, a TCP commission, was a 2023 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Besides putting its stamp on iconic percussion works by John Cage and Steve Reich, the quartet has created first recordings of commissioned works by Philip Glass, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Danny Elfman, Gavin Bryars, Donnacha Dennehy, David T. Little and Ted Hearne – in addition to original Third Coast compositions. The ensemble won its Grammy (Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) for their recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. They have received four additional Grammy nominations as performers, plus a 2021 nomination as composers.
With strong ties throughout Chicago, Third Coast has collaborated with such institutions as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Uniting Voices Chicago choir, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, Adler Planetarium, and the University of Chicago. They have also taught many thousands of students through educational partnerships and created multi-year collaborative projects with Chicago-based composers.
The four members of Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin and David Skidmore) met while studying percussion music at Northwestern University and formed the ensemble in 2005. They have since built a thriving nonprofit organization to support their vision. Members of Third Coast also hold degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory and the Yale School of Music.
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