Renowned dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp shares wit, wisdom with Arts Academy students
Reflecting on how Ms. Tharp transformed her perspectives on dance, one student calls the experience “the chance of a lifetime.”
Twyla Tharp addresses a studio full of dance and interdisciplinary arts students. Photo credit Eileen Ganter.
Any day Twyla Tharp is in town is bound to be a memorable one. On April 30, the distinguished dancer and choreographer visited Interlochen to work with Arts Academy students across multiple disciplines. Ms. Tharp’s instruction drew from extensive professional experience: she has choreographed more than 160 works including numerous ballets for companies including The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and The Royal Ballet; dances for hit films like Hair and Amadeus; and four Broadway shows. She has also written four books. The Twyla Tharp Dance founder radiated keen wit and time-honed wisdom as she shared lessons from her career, offered fresh approaches to choreographing, and answered student questions.
Ms. Tharp opened her visit with a talk for interdisciplinary arts students in which she explored key points of her book The Creative Habit. The afternoon brought a discussion with Director of Dance Joseph Morrissey, attended by the entire student body. This was followed by masterclasses with dance, interdisciplinary arts, and musical theatre students. From plotting dances with different types of coins to starting every creative day “as if in a blank white room”, Ms. Tharp shared perceptive insights about how to access artistic potential and turn it into real work.
Assyl Rassulkyzy, a senior Interdisciplinary Arts student, prepared a short phrase of choreography for Ms. Tharp to critique. After watching Assyl perform the piece, Ms. Tharp worked with her and a group of dancers to polish and remix it. By the end of the masterclass, the group had created a fresh variation on Assyl’s phrase—and Assyl’s understanding of dance had forever changed.
“Working with Ms. Tharp was the chance of a lifetime,” Assyl said. “I witnessed a phrase that I came up with on my own months ago become something that could translate beautifully to a large ensemble. It gave me insights into how to organize dancers, and truly transformed the way that I will approach choreography moving forward.”
“I love being at a place like Interlochen where I can work with artists like Ms. Tharp,” she continued. “A year ago, I could never have imagined I would be able to do this.”
Students at Interlochen Arts Academy enjoy world-renowned artistic training from gifted professionals alongside college-preparatory academics. Learn more about Arts Academy.
