Twyla Tharp

Tharp, Twyla (1941– ), U.S. choreographer and dancer. After 2 years as a dancer with the Paul Taylor Company (1963–65), she began to create original, expressive dances for her own company (founded 1965) and later the American Ballet Theater (joined in 1988). She uses various aspects of dance genres (ballet, tap-dance, social dance) and genres of music (classical, jazz, rock and roll). Some of her well-known dances are Re-Moves (1966), Deuce Coupe (1973), Short Stories (1980). She has also choreographed movies, such as Hair (1979) and Amadeus (1984).