Twyla Tharp is 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 uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music, and she is easily one of the most influential dancers/ choreographers in the last century. Tharp was born on a farm in Portland, Indiana on July 1st, 1941 to mother, Lucille, and father, William, and was named after the “Pig Princess” of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana, Twila Thornburg. As a young child, Tharp spent a few months each year living with her grandparents on their farm in Indiana. Her mother insisted she take lessons in dance, mainly ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. Her mother also insisted she take lessons…show more content… The concept was born out of Tharp’s head because she has been choreographing Sinatra songs since the 1970s, including Nine Sinatra Songs, in 1982, and Sinatra Suite, in 1984, and even some of the new pieces includes some of her earlier choreography. Come Fly Away is set in a New York City nightclub, follows the relationships of four couples as they seek love and romance. The pas de deux, ballet term for “partner dance”, as a flirtatious battle of wills is a recurring theme in Come Fly Away, which is structured as a series of romantic encounters in a club vaguely redolent of the 1940s. Kate and Hank resolve their ambiguous relationship, and become "just friends". Marty and Betsy are innocent and shy. Slim and Chanos have a one-night affair, and Babe and Sid circle each other as they each seek to be the center of attention. The show opened on Broadway on March 25th, 2010 and closed September 5th, 2010, because of a constant struggle with the box…show more content… and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship, She received the Tony Award for Best Choreography and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for the 2002 musical Movin' Out, and lastly was named a Kennedy Center Honoree for 2008 (Banes & Aldrich).
In conclusion, Twyla Tharp is one of, if not, the most influential choreographer of our generation, evidenced by her portrait being displayed in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in the critically acclaimed "Dancing the Dream" exhibition as a pioneer of American modern dance (Banes & Aldrich). Starting off in a small farm town in Indiana to the bright lights of Broadway, Twyla has maintained a humble exterior. Twyla continues to work as a dance instructor and is an inspiration to many young dancers across the