With Paul Taylor and Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp is without doubt one of the top three living American choreographers. Taylor has been around longer, and Morris brings his troupe to the Bay Area more often; but Tharp's work, whether for film, TV, Broadway, other dance companies -- from the Paris Opera Ballet to the Martha Graham Dance Company to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago -- or her own may have been seen by more people. By Tharp's count (according to her website), she has choreographed "more than 160 works: 129 dances, 12 television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows, and two figure-skating routines."
After studying dance with both Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham, Tharp joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company when she finished college -- and formed her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance, just three years later. It performed original works set to all kinds of music: classical, jazz, contemporary pop. "Deuce Coupe" (1973), choreographed for the Joffrey Ballet to the Beach Boys song, is considered the first "crossover" ballet, though a more renowned example is "Push Comes to Shove" (1976), which featured ballet artist Mikhail Baryshnikov not long after he left the Soviet Union.
Tharp has collaborated with musician David Byrne (The Catherine Wheel) and film directors Miloš Forman (Hair, Ragtime, and Amadeus), Taylor Hackford (White Nights), and James Brooks (I'll Do Anything). She has created dance musicals to the music of George Gershwin (Singin' in the Rain), Bob Dylan (The Times They Are a-Changin'), Frank Sinatra (Come Fly with Me, later called Come Fly Away), and Billy Joel (Movin' Out, for which Tharp won a Tony Award).
But before all those dances, films and television specials, Broadway shows and figure-skating routines came "Tank Dive" (1965), to songs by then-popular British pop singer Petulia Clark. Fifty years later, Cal Performances has made sure that Berkeley is one of the 17 cities on the Twyla Tharp 50th Anniversary Tour. Tharp is bringing the 13 members of her troupe here for the weekend of Oct. 17.
You won't be seeing "Tank Dive" on the program, though, nor any other of her celebrated pieces. "Preludes and Fugues," to Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier," will see its Bay Area premiere. Framing the performance are dances set to music by the great eclectic jazz artist John Zorn: "First Fanfare," to "Antiphonal Fanfare for the Great Hall," performed by The Practical Trumpet Society, and "Second Fanfare," to "In Excelsis," performed by the American Brass Quintet.
Finally, in another Bay Area premiere, we'll see "Yowzie," set to seven jazz pieces, from Wesley Wilson's "Gimme a Pigfoot" to Jelly Roll Morton's "Buddy Bolden's Blues" to Henry Butler's "Henry's Boogie," performed by Butler, Steven Bernstein, and the Hot 9.
"Simply put, 'Preludes and Fugues' is the world as it ought to be, 'Yowzie' as it is. The 'Fanfares' celebrate both," says Tharp.
You want to celebrate an artist who, after such a long and storied career, has no interest in a mere retrospective. It might have been fun -- for the audience -- to see historic dances like "Tank Dive" and old favorites too numerous to mention. Simply put, this lineup is far more exciting. Bach, Zorn, and Buddy Bolden, Tharp's continued inspiration, and her 13 terrific dancers. Yowzie!
Oct. 16-18, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, 510.642.9988, calperformances.org.
Photograph: Twyla Tharp Dance members Ron Todorowski, Amy Ruggiero, and John Selya perform in the Bay Area premiere of Yowzie.
Ruven Afanador, used with permission of Cal Performances
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.