Hoosier choreographer brings troupe to IU

Where in Bloomington can you see world-famous choreography, awe-inspiring dancers and the chance to be rendered breathless … all on a Thursday evening?\nThe answer is the IU Auditorium.\nAt 8 p.m. today, the Auditorium will host a performance of Twyla Tharp Dance, with the latest creations of Tharp, "America's greatest living choreographer," as she has frequently been called by reviewers.\nAlthough Tharp will not be physically present for the performance, her dancers convey the spirit of her work quite well. According to a recent review in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Tharp employs a huge vocabulary of movement, trades on surprises small and large -- the sort of surprises that, on the least reflection, seems to have been inevitable and thus ultimately not surprising at all -- and takes the expressive potential of dance seriously indeed."\nIf anyone is serious about dance, it's Tharp.\n"I had to become the greatest choreographer of my time," Tharp said in a recent interview. "That was my mission and that's what I set out to do."\nLiz Shea, coordinator of IU's dance program in the department of kinesiology, has attended multiple talks given by Tharp.\n"This show isn't just for those with a background in dance," Shea said. "The joy of dance is something everyone can benefit from. This is a unique, exciting opportunity. People in the audience won't be falling asleep."\nShe describes the choreographer as an "incredible woman," and feels that seeing this performance is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that IU students should take advantage of.\n"The whole point of a university atmosphere is to learn and grow. The purpose is to expand the mind. And there's always the student ticket discount," Shea said.\nIU Auditorium Director Doug Booher thinks the student discount will be a major draw for the box office.\n"With tickets available as low as $12 for IUB students and $24 for non-students, we expect a very strong turnout," he said.\nTharp began Twyla Tharp Dance in 1965. In 1988, the company merged with American Ballet Theatre and, to this day, is still composed of experienced, award-winning dancers.\nAlthough Tharp's choreography originates from a ballet style, it is infused with elements of classical, modern and jazz dancing, as well. Shea describes Tharp's choreography as "braided and dense," yet "very kinetic."\nTharp is a native Hoosier, hailing from Portland, Ind. As a child, she led a well-rounded life, her curriculum full of physical activities. \nTharp once said, "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."\nBut running away to New York City was inevitable for this woman who wanted to be at the top of her field as a choreographer. \nThe pace remained high for the rest of her life -- since 1963, Tharp has created more than 125 dances, choreographed five Hollywood films and two Broadway shows, received two Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards and served as Associate Artistic Director for American Ballet Theatre.\nTharp's dance troupe gives more than 80 shows during the year.\n"Twyla Tharp is one of America's best known and most accomplished choreographers," Booher said. "Her work has spanned decades, as well as musical and dance genres … Because of her accomplishments and recent fame regarding the Tony award [for her choreography of Billy Joel's musical, Movin' Out"], this is a perfect time to present her program." \n-- Contact staff writer Jessica Moskal at jmoskal@indiana.edu.