The Big Picture
(Jack Mitchell/Getty)
“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.”
-Twyla Tharp
A lot has happened between 1941 and present day. The past 76 years of world history had been at Twyla Tharp's fingertips. Throughout Twyla Tharp's life, so much has happened in politics, technology, society, and even other art forms, that could have influenced Tharp's personal style and choreography.
I thought I would begin in the 1950s, although Tharp was between the ages of 9 and 19, I believe that this decade still had some impact and influence on Tharp's personality and her choreographic work. Many would describe the 50s as being a festive decade, since the Great Depression ended, World War II was over, and the economy was booming. Although a lot of the 1950s were blissful, there was still segregation in America. In 1954, the US Supreme Court declared racial segregation is unconstitutional in public schools during Brown vs. Board of Education. But in 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white women in a bus. I believe that these events may have had some influence on Twyla Tharp's art, in particular, Rosa Parks' rebellion. Tharp is known for not following any rules and/or breaking the rules. Another instance that may have had some influence on Tharp is how teenagers were viewed in the 1950s. Many different outlets began targeting teenagers because people soon realized that the teenagers of the 1950s would quickly turn into voters and consumers. Additionally, Frank Sinatra was very popular, which influenced her Sinatra Suite and 9 Sinatra Songs.
1960s
The 1960s was an era of conflict. In 1960, the US Government send more troops to Vietnam for the Vietnam War and the war escalades in 1965. The Cuban Missile Crisis had the the whole world on the edge of another World War in 1962. In 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a Dream" speech. President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968. The Civil Right movement would have definitely influenced Tharp. The 60s were all about finding your voice, and using it for progress, and that's what Tharp did. She found her own voice, path, and kept her rebellious attitude. In music, sub-genres began to emerge while R&B and Rock n' Roll became more popular and profitable. The Beatles were also emerging at the time, which influenced many of Twyla Tharp's creations.
PIECES- Tank Dive, Three Page Sonata for Four, Medley, Group Activities.
Tank Dive- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/tank-dive
PIECES- Tank Dive, Three Page Sonata for Four, Medley, Group Activities.
Tank Dive- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/tank-dive
1970s
The 1970s was an uneasy time in history, but it was a very important time in Tharp's career. Tharp's 'breezy' style of dance began to be noticed. It was also a good time for Women's Rights, which helped Tharp in her field. In 1970, the Beatles disbanded. The Beatles had a huge influence on Twyla Tharp's work. In 1973, the US Supreme Court declared abortion as a constitutional right. The Vietnam War ended in 1975 and Bill Gates and Paul Allen create Microsoft. In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozinak create the Apple Computer Company. The increase of technological knowledge probably influenced her work as well.
PIECES- The One Hundreds, Eight Jelly Rolls, The Bix Pieces, Deuce Coupe, Push Comes to Shove, Hair.
Hair- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/hair
PIECES- The One Hundreds, Eight Jelly Rolls, The Bix Pieces, Deuce Coupe, Push Comes to Shove, Hair.
Hair- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/hair
1980s
The 80s was a huge time for cable television. CNN, ESPN, MTV, and more became very popular. The personal computer also came into play. The Iran-Iraq war ended, and the Berlin Wall came down to end the Cold War. The term 'yuppy' was created also, describing the wealthy. On the other hand, John Lennon of the Beatles died and AIDS is identified in the United States. The technology and television advancements may have influenced Tharp, since this is the time she expanded into Broadway. I do not believe that there were any particular musical influences in this decade for Twyla Tharp.
PIECES- Deuce Coupe III, Ragtime, The Catherine Wheel, Nine Sinatra Songs, Sinatra Suite, Amadeus, Baryshnikov by Tharp, Singin' in the Rain, In The Upper Room, Quartet.
Nine Sinatra Songs- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/nine-sinatra-songs
PIECES- Deuce Coupe III, Ragtime, The Catherine Wheel, Nine Sinatra Songs, Sinatra Suite, Amadeus, Baryshnikov by Tharp, Singin' in the Rain, In The Upper Room, Quartet.
Nine Sinatra Songs- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/nine-sinatra-songs
1990-Now
In the 90s, the internet became available for unrestricted commercial use, which may have influenced Tharp, allowing her to research and learn more. I would say there was not a whole lot of influence for Twyla Tharp during this time.
PIECES- Men's Piece, Octet, The Elements, Roy's Joys, Grosse Sonate, Surfer at the River Styx, Movin' Out, The Times They Are A-Changin', Come Fly with Me, Sinatra: Dance with Me, The Princess and the Goblin, Yowzie.
Movin' Out- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/movin-out
PIECES- Men's Piece, Octet, The Elements, Roy's Joys, Grosse Sonate, Surfer at the River Styx, Movin' Out, The Times They Are A-Changin', Come Fly with Me, Sinatra: Dance with Me, The Princess and the Goblin, Yowzie.
Movin' Out- https://www.twylatharp.org/works/movin-out
There were and still are so many world influences for Tharp to tap into and use for her art and choreography. Between the political, technological, societal, and even musical influences were enough for Tharp to create her 160+ pieces of miraculous art.
Here is a link to a video of the first performance of Deuce Coupe by the Joffrey Ballet in 1973. This piece was influenced by and performed to the Beatles. A great visual of musical influence.
Works Cited
“Deuce Coupe.” Deuce Coupe | Twyla Tharp, 8 Feb. 1973, www.twylatharp.org/content/deuce-coupe.
“Life in the 1980s.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/us/59d.asp.
“The 1950s: Happy Days.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/us/53.asp.
The People History -- Steve Pearson. “1950s Important News and Events, Key Technology Fashion and Popular Culture.” What Happened in the 1950s Featuring News, Popular Culture, Prices and Technology, www.thepeoplehistory.com/1950s.html.
The People History -- Steve Pearson. “1960s Important News and Events, Key Technology Fashion and Popular Culture.” What Happened in the 1960s Inc. News, Popular Culture, Prices and Technology, www.thepeoplehistory.com/1960s.html.
The People History -- Steve Pearson. “1970s Important News and Events, Key Technology Fashion and Popular Culture.” What Happened in the 1970s Inc. News, Popular Culture, Prices and Technology, www.thepeoplehistory.com/1970s.html.
The People History -- Steve Pearson. “1980s News, Events, Popular Culture and Prices.” What Happened in the 1980s Featuring News, Popular Culture, Prices and Technology, www.thepeoplehistory.com/1980s.html.
“TWYLA THARP; a Pioneer of Modern Dance.” Prezi.com, 10 Sept. 2013, prezi.com/h9k0otawtfj-/twyla-tharp-a-pioneer-of-modern-dance/.
“Twyla Tharp > Quotes.” Twyla Tharp Quotes (Author of The Creative Habit), www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/148884.Twyla_Tharp.
I really appreciate the way you set this up like a timeline. Provides a clear understanding as to what was going on in the world at the time of Twyla making work. It would be nice to hear a couple of the pieces she was working on during the time period as well, to clearly see what she was working on, what her thought process was, and what was going on in the world all at the same time!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and feedback! I definitely agree, it would be great to have what pieces she was working on during each time period. It would totally help the readers understand more about her thought process. It would help me as well because from where I am in my research, it just seems like Tharp creates pieces just because she wants to, or maybe as a response to her previous works. I will go through and list some of her works according to their time, and maybe some videos too, I think that would help also.
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