Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp was a world-renowned choreographer known for her award-winning work on Broadway and in films. Her dances were known for their creativity and technical precision, offing blending elements of jazz and ballet over a pop-music soundtrack. A graduate of Barnard College, Tharp founded the Twyla Tharp Dance Company in 1965 and went on to choreograph dances for numerous esteemed dance companies both in the states and abroad, including the Joffrey Ballet, The Australian Ballet, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Tharp began choreographing dances on Broadway in 1981 with "When We Were Very Young" (1981), and went on to choreograph dances for the hit musicals "Movin' Out" (2002) and "Come Fly Away" (2010). In addition to her work on Broadway, Tharp also served as the choreographer on Milos Forman's "Hair" (1979) and "Amadeus" (1984), as well as "Taylor Hackford's "White Nights" (1985). In recognition of her lifetime achievements in the field of dance, Tharp was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2008, thus lending further credence to her status as one of the most important American dance choreographers of the 20th Century.