American Musical Theatre and Twyla Tharp

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Introduction

Musical theaters have developed to be an important source of entertainment in the world. Although musical theaters could be viewed to be relatively new in America as compared to Europe, it has developed to be one of the most developing sectors in entertainment. Musical theater combines songs, music, dance and spoken dialogue to make an all round entertainment parcel. American musical theater is proud of many artists that have contributed to its development. Musician, dancers and other theater performers are responsible for growth of this sector. Among the major contributors in American musical theater is Twyla Tharp. Tharp contribution in choreography has led to great positive changes to musical theater in America. Twyla Tharp has dedicated a major part of her life to choreography where she had creativity and commitment to dances is evident.

Overview American Musical Theater

America musical theater has taken many years to develop its unique identity. America being a nation of immigrants, most of the works of art were influenced by the origin of the artist. Musical is the country were greatly influenced by the music, songs and dances performed in Europe. Before musical theaters developed in cities such New York, musical theaters were vibrant in European cities such as London (Kislan 65).

Musical theater in general has a long history. In Europe, musical theaters can be traced back to musical theaters in ancient Greek. The Greek included music, dances and other performance to tragedies and comedies (Jones 34). From the stage performance, dances and music were recognized as important entertainment tools that led to development to musical theater. Music and dances were also an important element in Roman comedies in the third century. The Romans made innovations that made dance stage performers to be more audible in open-air theaters. By middle Ages, music and dance had separated itself from comedies and tragedies popular in Europe. Musical theater mainly consisted of small performance groups that performed from one city to another in various occasions (Kislan 121). Various developments in the church led to growth of musical theaters. Religious dramas such as Play of Herod incorporated musical performers that helped to publicize musical theaters. The long dramas incorporated section of entertainment in between the dramas; this provided musicians and dances opportunity to entertain large crowds.

Musical theaters in history can also be traced in other parts of the world other than Europe. In India, musical theaters can be traces back in Antiquity period. The famous Indian Sanskrit drama was highly stylized where spectacle was emphasized. Dance, music and gesture were used in the drama. Although music and gesture were used, dance took the central and major part of Sanskrit drama (Bordman 115). Dances were held with significance in the Indian tradition. Traditional Fork Theater thus developed as manifestation of traditional dance and grew to be musical theaters seen in Indian today (Jones 64).

The greatest development in musical theaters can be traced in the renaissance period. Musical theater in this period took the form of musical comedies that comprised of musicals and comedies. For example, in England, the famous Jacobean and Elizabethan plays used music and dances. Performers with lutes, organs and viols took as much as an hour during the plays’ performance. Dancing, singing and acting were also used in the European courts as observed in Tudor period.

Development of American Musical Theater

American musical theater has developed with the backdrop of musical theaters in other parts of the world. American musical theater is very much influenced by musical theaters in Europe, where most pioneer performers originated. The first musical production in America is thought to be Flora. This performance was staged in a courtroom in Charleston, South Carolina, about 1735. Flora performance was a ballad opera that dad been imported from Europe. As is England, ballad opera were popular with British immigrants in the colonies for several decades. However, after the colonies had become a nation, other forms of stage performance became popular. The Burlesque was one of performance that became popular as people in the colonies settled and British influence started to diminish (Kislan 76). During this period, burlesque consisted of parodies of travesties in the popular plays, dance, performance dance, songs and dialogue. An early work in burlesque includes Hamlet, La Mosquita. This dance was made by John Pools and satirized a celebrated Viennese dancer.

Burlesque cannot be termed to be purely American but they were importation from other countries and traditions (Bordman 117). The spectacles and extravaganza staged in New York before First World War was an influence of burlesque and cannot be termed as purely American in nature. For example, the female pulchritude that became important in later American musicals was also a foreign importation (Jones 113). The origin of this style can be traced from musical performance in Europe where skin-colored dances were used in performance. The first successful musical performance that was prepared by Americans was the Black Crooks staged in New York in 1866. Unlike other performance before it, Black Crook was written and performed by Americans. The Black Crook brought in some of the feature identified with American musical comedies, such as chorus girls, elaborate costumes, ornate production and songs with provocative sexual innuendos. European extravaganza that made frequent visits to Unite State made great contribution musical theater in America. The extravaganza included Novelty brought an extravaganza in the laying of Atlantic cable in 1857. The performance, prepared by Ronzani troupe was one of successful ballet performers in during that time (Bordman 87). However, the major part of ninetieth century was dominated by foreign performer while America performers only taking minor role in foreign troupes.

As European musical performances were dominating American entertainment industry, Americans were gaining interest in the field. In general, there was increased interest in developing musical performance and other entertainment sectors that were American in nature. In fact, even with the foreign influence, American musical theater was defined (Kislan 231). Efforts were being made to have a musical entertainment that took American format, spirit and style. A good example of efforts made to define an American musical entertainment is The Minstrel Show. Minstrel show exploited dance, humor and black American song to produce a show that had an American face. Minstrel was unique in its form; it lacked characterization, plot or settings as evident in European musical performance (Bordman 56). The first successful musical to use Minstrel style was the Brook. The Brooks features American experience in an American style. Although the plot of the work was not well developed, it builds around American experience during the panic. The songs were adopted from familiars American tunes while humor derived from familiar events. Although this work was not perfect, it was a major effort in American theaters.

The effort made by Minstrel was important to American musical theater. However, a unique American musical identity was not achieved until later in the twentieth century. The turn of twentieth century was responsible for the unique panoply that is associates with American musical theater. The person that can be closely associated with the clear separation from European style is George Cohan. Cohan was a composer, librettist and lyricist and was known for his creativity. Cohan’s techniques and method were ingenuous. Although much of Cohan’s materials were naïve, he very influential in creating an indigenous American musical productions (Kislan 213). The characters and settings in Cohan’s musical were purely American. In addition, his lyrics, dialogues and melody were native and colloquial. For example, the spirit of brashness, energy, cocksureness and chauvinism evident in his musicals are American. According to his style, any plot was serviceable as long as it accommodated songs, routines and dances in the episodes (Jones 213). Significance was given to the elements of the play, rather than the play itself. This became the main foundation though which later American musical comedies and musical theaters would be prepared.

Although great achievements had been achieved in musical performance, there was needed to break away from rigid formula. In various attempts, artist tried to come up with musicals that did not follow the conventional form of earlier work (Bordman 99). The Princess Theatre Shows; lyrics by P.G. Woodhouse ,texts by Guy Bolton, and music by Jerome Kern, performed in 1920 presented for the times a essential departure from popular musicals on Broadway (Jones 116). The Princess Theater shows concentrated on informal and intimate entertainment rather than long cast and use of starts common in the conventional theater. Instead of production numbers chorus-girl lines and humorous skits, musicals in Princess Theater focused on witty dialogue, sophistication, charming music, amusing incidents and a unique American personality. Hart and Rodgers, together with Herbert Field as their Librettist in 1920’s, manifested creativity and tendency to move away from routine, in a greater way.

Choreography in American Musical Theater

As American musical theater developed, dance became an important element of the theaters. In 1920’s, the role of dance in the theaters changed significantly. During this period, it was realized that dance could play an important role in development of plot and characters in a play. It was also realized that dance could play an important role in defining and maintaining the spirit of the play. The greatest contributor to the role of dance in theater was Seymour Felix. Felix came up with dances that opened up gradually, helping to develop the plot of the play. This new roles in use of dance brought a new view of dance away from mere kicking and pounding to music.

Integrating dance in theater was an important step in development of commercial dancing. Dance provided a unifying effect in plays and drama on stage. To fill a new role in theater, dancers started to pursued dancing, not just as a past time activity but as a source of living. An important example to the new roles of dance in theater was manifested in Pal Joel show. Dancing in the show helped to enhance the environment, plot and project the characters without effect to entertainment value of the musical show.

After the significance of dancing as an element in plot advancement and character development was realized, distinguished directors and choreographers started come out. Some of famous professional choreographers in the early days were Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbin and Gower Champion. For example, Robbin emphasized that control of movement in a dancing was significant to the flow and success of a musical performance. Fosse, on the other hands was talented in tempering, manipulating reconstructing play writer’s material with choreography. Fosse’s talent was very successful in play by integrating dance to drama. Fosse was able to develop a career by use of his self-contained burlesque and vaudeville acts. Although Champion was not as personal a Fosse, his work was important in maintaining musical comedy (Bordman 211). Champion used dance to enhance concept in comedies. For example, he would use dance extend existing emotion in a play. Although Champion was not a innovative and inventive as Robbin and Fosse, his contribution to dance and choreography in American musical theater remains significant up to these days.

Development in American musical theater has been a long process. There are many materials that shows the process though which musical performance have grown in America. However, records on growth in dance and an element in musical theater are not well documented. Unlike music, songs and other performance, dance was passed on though practice. Robbin, Champion and Fosse are recognized as pioneer of dance as a career in America. However, it is Twyla Tharp that can be regarded the mother of modern dance in American theater.

Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp is one of the most successful dancer and choreographer in America today. She is not only known as a successful choreographer in America alone but also in other parts of the world. Twlyla Tharp was born in Portland, Indiana in 1941 in a family of artists. In her early years, she moved with her family to Rialto, Californian. In California, her parents started a drive-in video theater (Tharp 32). This could be the origin of her interest in art, especially theater performance. Her parent allowed her to work in the drive-in as she schooled. Tharp attended Pacific High school in San Bernardino but at the same time studied at Vera Lynn School of dance. Vera Lynn School of dance and her working in the drive-in became a great foundation for her later career in dance (Ballet Theatre production par 1).

For higher education, Tharp enrolled with Pomona College in California. However, she later moved to New York City where she joined Barnard Collage. Her transfer to Bernard collage was very significant to her career in choreography. In was here that she met with Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham, who became very helpful to her. From Barnard collage, Tharp graduated with in art and the collage as a potential dancer. After college, Tharp joined Paul Taylor Dance Company where she started her career as a dancer. Tharp innovativeness in dance and theater performance was manifested during her stay at Paul Taylor Dance Company (McDonagh 76). By 1971, she had developed her ideas to for her own dance company, which she named Twyla Tharp Dance.

Tharp’s parents, especially her mother, played a big role Tharp’s success in dance. Her parents were interested in art and encouraged Tharp to pursue her interest in art besides other external pressure (Ballet Theatre production par 4). With encouragement from her mother, Tharp took lessons in dancing under different categories. Among dancing disciplines that she pursued in here early days includes ballet, jazz, tap and modern dances (Siegel 31). She proved to be naturally good in dance while dancing lesson helped her broaden and sharpen her skills (McDonagh 76). Apart from dancing, Tharp took lesson in variety of instruments, took painting classes and learned French. Besides, she learnt various topics in humanity that mad her an all round artist.

In New York City, Tharp took classes in ballet with Shawezoff and Richard Thomas. She also took classes in modern dancing with many choreographers in the city. Tharp help dance, as a called and believed that dancing was the only thing that she could do naturally well. Besides Ballet and modern dance, Tharp also studies jazz dance with Eugene Lewis, a successful jazz performer. Although these choreographers played an important role on forming Tharp as a dancer, it was Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham who continued to influence her in her career. After Tharp joined Taylor after college, Taylor challenged her to form her own company.

In her studies at Bernard College, Tharp made good use of available opportunities to accomplish her interest in art. For example, she took advantage of availability of American Ballet Theater School to take more lessons in variety of dance disciplines that were not offered in Bernard. Although she was pursuing a degree in Art history, she did not loose focus from her interest in dance (Ballet Theatre production par 7). Her history of art degree expounded her knowledge in development of art in the world and especially in America. As a talented dancer by nature, Tharp was convinced of pursuing a career in the field. This is evidenced by her joining Paul Taylor Dance Company immediately after graduation. At Paul Taylor Dance Company, she improved her skills, expanded contacts and used her creativity (Siegel 113). After working with Paul Taylor Dance Company for two years, Tharp started here famous Twyla Tharp Dance Company, which later became very successful. In 1988, her dancing company formed a merger with American Ballet Theater where both companies made great progress in musical theater performance (Tharp 54). However, Twyla Tharp Dance latter branched to it own in 1991. Twyla Tharp has been very successful in dance. Despite being of relatively old age for a dancer, Twyla Tharp still participates in dances as both a dancer and a choreographer.

Twyla Tharp has been successful in as a dancer and choreographer (Ballet Theatre production par 2). Since her graduation in 1963, Tharp has participated in various dances and choreographed in many successful musicals. The dances that Tharp has led as a choreographer amount to more than one hundred and five. In movie industry, Tharp has successfully choreographed five Hollywood movies in her career. She has also directed and choreographed a group of Broadway shows. Besides being a dances ands choreographer, Tharp is also an author. Her books on her career and American musical theater provide important resources for current and future state of American dances.

Twyla Tharp came into the modern dance world in a period when most of the arts were in turmoil. 1960’s marked one of the most revolutionary periods in American art. Artist in this period did not want to continues with the usually way of doing art but pursued other new forms of art. This period significantly changed American dances by breaking from the conventional forms of dances to new progressive dances (Twyla & Reiter, Mark 131). Twyla Tharp in one of the most influential dancer that brought these changed and changed the face of modern dances. Her dances were marked with skills, creativity and progression. The dances were clear with profound technical skills but with a sense of mischief. Her dances were trained in classical dancing skills but they could be seen skipping, running, or jumping while dancing on stage (Siegel 67). The dancers were also involved themselves in very demanding physical traditional dances. Tharp’s dances could as dynamic by how she explores new progressive dancing styles (Twyla & Reiter, Mark 17). However, it is very captivating to watch her dances, which has made her very relevant in American dance for a long time.

Tharp Contribution to American Dance

After leaving Taylor, Tharp started her own work in dance. Her initial dance, Tank Dive was presented on April 29, 2009. She resolved to structure this dance with a start, middle, and an end. After identifying an entrance and a closing, she was interested with the idea of forming a middle section. She did not have problem in choosing the structure of the dance since there were many options from which she could have chosen. Although there were conventional through which she could have used, she chose to distill the movements until she achieved her taste. The movement included the main blocks of a dance circle, right angles, diagonal and spiral. She took details to movement by ensuring that the result of combination formed all types of phrases. From her beginning as a choreographer, Tharp’s interest creating a perfect dance was evident. From the start, Tharp emphasized on the basics of a dance by ensuring that the basics were stripped to the essentials.

Tharp used a modified-proscenium approach in choreography. Don Mc Donagh, while criticizing the way Tharp approached modern dances emphasized of her ability to focus not only on entertainment but also on the basic of a dances. Tharp was successful in utilizing available space for dance (Bleiberg 2). Despite of the place of dance or the available space for dancing, Tharp is able to come up with movements that fit well with the changes. This ability is an evidence of her mastery of space, environment and real estate, as expected from a choreographer. Tharp was able to create work and perform in all sorts of surroundings (Tharp 72). As a dancer, could make very good dancing movement in spite of object on the stage. Likewise as a choreographer, Tharp taught here dancers skills to utilize every available space or objects for dance.

Tharp does not have any special requirements for her dances of performances; she handles and utilize the spaces availed to her (Siegel 91). This freedom on use of space for dancing was developed after the conventional proscenium arch was observed to be only one method through which space could be organized. The freedom in use of space enabled Tharp to create such works as medley in 1969. She also used the freedom in the Dancing in the streets of Paris and London, Torelli and Sometimes Madrid, between 1969 and 1971 (Anderson 51). Each of the dance performance made use of the available space in entirety. The performance of the dances was perfectly executed whether in galleries, Great Lawn in Central Park or the staircases of Metropolitan Museum (McDonagh 71). The dance, Torelli was performed effectively in all the three Manhattan location in spite of their diverse differences. The dances were able to make use of sophisticated and stylized pedestrians’ movement that not only enabled space utilization but captivating to audiences. This initial works also demonstrated Tharp’s interest in gigantism. In comparison, Tharp dances extended and filled available spaces about ten time of the size of a proscenium stage.

Tharp was a pioneer in dances. Clive Barnes describes her as a dance avant-garde activist for her freedom in use of new forms of dances. In her career as a dancer and a choreographer, Tharp has shown unusual innovation and creativity in dances. Tharp was not just contented using conventional form of dances of dance performance but she explored new ways of dancing and organizing the stage (Anderson 31). Tharp preferred non-proscenium spaces in her dances. She found the space in a proscenium stage to be limited and limiting the space available for dancing (Twyla & Reiter, Mark 114). She believed that that dances were performed for audience but the proscenium stage confined the dancers on the stage, away from the audience (McDonagh 211). When out of the confines of the stage, the audience would be able to have a close view of dancer and be able to see details that would be impossible when dances are performed only in the theater. According to her, her motive for exploring other ways for using space was to free spectators from visual set created by proscenium stages and physical set created by assigned seats in the theater (Twyla & Reiter, Mark 113). She preferred her dancing-ground to be fluid while her audiences mobile; a state that cannot be achieved in a proscenium stage (Siegel 79). In her performance, Tharp tried to separate dance from music. She believed that dances could be effectively performed even without the accompaniment of music. She believed that when audience saw dance that moved with melody of sing, people responded, not to the dance but to the music. Thus, Tharp aimed dance performance that could exist by its own.

Dances choreographed by Twyla Tharp showed creativity. Medley dance made in 1969 is a good evidence of creativity I dance. The work was created with showing how art and life co-existed in mind. It aimed at showing that art was part of life rather a great difference existing between life and art. The movements in the dance involved such movement as skipping, jumping and running normal movements in real life. In spite of using such simple movements, this dance consisted one of the most successful dances in her career (Anderson 37). The dance was created for a large outdoor space rather than confined stages. Thus the dance was performed in various out-door spaces but received great acceptance from audience. Medley did very well at the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College in New London. After being performed at this festival, Medley was also performed on Great Lawn of Manhattan’s Central Park, where it was also successful (Siegel 67). The dance began with six dancers in her company. The dancers would be seed clustering and dispersing in various patterns. The dance progresses gradually from the start to the climax with the six dancers being joined by other student dancers.

The second performance of Medley at the Great Lawn of Central Park was referred as a magical performance. It is reported that the performance moved the audience and turned the Great Lawn of Central Park like an animated sculpture garden (Anderson 1). The dancers were spaced at long distances, as far as the eye could see, and then moved calmly and slowly as twilight fell about them. From this performance, there was harmony between art and nature as Tharp made use of natural environment Tharp, (Twyla & Reiter, Mark 91). She did force all the dancers to use common dancing styles but utilized each dancers unique dancing movements. Tharp used several movements that resembled natural movements. For example, choreographed the dancers to use gestures uses in everyday life as well as those done in nude.

Tharp’s dances were not fixed. Tharp allowed dancer to explore their creativity in dances rather than use a fixed structure. For example, performance of Medley at Connecticut was not made as she had planned (Anderson, 21). However, the performance was successful despite of divergence from the plan. This performance shows the ability of Tharp as a choreographer to transform the environment but at the same time being able to respond change in environment. For this to be possible, the choreographer must have the ability to connect imagination to practicality in determining the flow of the dance (Anderson, 22). The dance must not only be a magnificent vision in the mind of its inventor, but also a fully visible set of movements before the audience. Creating a work such as Medley requires the details to be perfectly timed and calibrated.

Dancing in the street of London and Paris, Continued in Stockholm and Sometimes in Madrid was another early successful works made by Tharp. This dance was not original as such but included materials from Medley. The dance, commissioned by the Wadsworth Atheneum was designed as an effort to integrate art with life. The work was another break from norm dance and aimed at making use of all available space in the dancing environment. It was designed for to utilize multi space environment in museums (McDonagh 67). It also aimed at involving other common acts such as reading from a book. When Dancing in the streets was premiered at Wadsworth Atheneum, the audience was offered opportunity to view the dancers at close view. The dancers in this dances moved through out the museum bringing audience close to the dancer. This trend in Tharp’s works was a great break from conventional dances by reducing the distance between dancers and audience. At the same time, the audience also experienced their own versions of the dances while moving around the museum’s halls.

Achievements

After forming her own dancing company in 1960, Tharp has been a very important figure in American musical theatres. Besides choreographing fort her company, she as well choreographed for several other companies. Some of the companies in which she has choreographed include American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet Hubbard Street Dance, The Boston Ballet, New York City Ballet and Martha Graham Dance Company.

Tharp’s Dances first appearance in Broadway came in nineteen eighty. Her first work to be features in Broadway was When Were Very Young (Twyla & Reiter, Mark 13). The Catherine Wheel, made with collaboration with David Byrne, followed the work in Nineteen eighty-one at Winter Gardens (Tharp 98). In Nineteen eighty-five, her work were featured again in Broadway. Her Singin’ in the Rain was performed at Gershwin and later followed by a national tour. Recently, her work continues to be hits in dances (Bleiberg par 5). The dance musical Movin’ Out won an award in 2002. Movin’ Out made use of Music and lyrics of Billy Joel and was a hit for more than two years.

Movin’ Out made in 2002 is one of the most successful works by Tharp (Murray par 1). From this work, Tharp received a series of award. The work earned her 2003 Tony Award, a prestigious award in musical art and 2003 Astaire Award. The work also earned her the Drama League Award, for persistence success in Musical Theatre, as well as Outer Critics Circle Award for her choreographer and Drama Desk Award (Murray, par 9). From the same work, Tharp was awarded the Best Choreography Award from United Kingdom’s Critic’s Circle Dances Award. Also in 2006, Tharp’s The Time They Are A-Changin’ received recognition under various categories (Tharp & Reiter 76).

Movin’ Out is viewed as another successful Tharp’s works. The dance in the musical is nonstop and energetic. For the two hour in movin’ Out, the dancers participate in athletic dancing movements that are common in most of her works. The other amazing thing in the dance is the ease at which the dancer executed the moves. To audience, it appears that dancing is the natural thing that the dancers in Movin’ Out could do. The dance was well structured to communicate plot, theme and emotions in the show.

Tharp has also participated in choreography in film. She has choreographed more five Hollywood movies. For example, she collaborated with Milos Forman in 1978 in the film: HAIR. Another successful film is AMADEUS in Nineteen Eighty Four. RAGTIME, 1980 and WHITE NIGHTS, made in collaboration with Taylor Hackford in 1978 were her early success as a choreographer in films. Recently, in 1994, Tharp collaborated with James Brooks in the film; I’LL DO ANYTHING (Tharp & Kornbluth 49).

In television, her success in choreography is seen Sue’s Leg, Making Television Dance and The Catherine wheel. In addition, she co-directed Baryshnikov by Tharp (Tharp & Kornbluth 81). This production added awards to her work when if two Emmy Awards. It also won, for outstanding achievement in direction, the Director’s Guild of America Award.

Collaboration

In all her career, Tharp has valued collaboration. In a career that is more than forty years old, Tharp has collaborated with many individuals and companies. She has been able to collaborate with successful musicians, thousands of dancers, designers and many companies (Tharp & Kornbluth 15). In review of her works, it is observed that she had been in much collaboration. Her great achievement as a dancer and a choreographer could be attributed mostly from her collaboration works (Tharp & Kornbluth 21). In fact, her achievement is a good example of a shared achievement an evidence of what can be achieved when people worked together. Tharp sees collaboration as a daily practice and made use of every opportunity for collaboration. Among great individual’s with whom Tharp collaborated includes Billy Joel, Mikhail Baryshnikov, David Byrne, Norma Kamali, Elvin Costello, Frank Sinatra and Jerome Robbins (Tharp & Kornbluth 3).

Come Fly Away

Come Fly Away is the most recent dance musical directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp (Hetrick par 1). This new dance musical comes after Tharp’s great with Movin’ Out. The dance musical, which is set to the tune of Frank Sinatra, is anticipated to be performed in Broadway in March. Come Fly Away is a development from an earlier work titled Come Fly with Me.

Come Fly Away is a feature of Original masterwork of Sinatra’s voice. However, the voice is backed by live band. Frank Sinatra enterprises and Sinatra family have given Twyla Tharp and company a go ahead to the dances musical (Hetrick par 4). The show will include the original arrangements made by Bill May, Nelson Riddle and Quincy Jones but will include other new arrangements meant for the production.

Although casting has no been announced, it is anticipated that a previous cast will be followed. It is thought that participants in a previous show will redefine their roles the Broadway show. Among the anticipated cast include individuals who participated in Movin’ Out production: Keith Roberts , Karine Plantidit, John Selya and Rika Okamoto. It is also anticipated that new comer such as Holley Farmer, Charles NeshybaHodge, Laura Mead and Matthew Dibble will also be included.

Come Fly Away is anticipated to be another Broadway success just as Movin’ Out (Hetrick par 7). Tharp’s skill is choreography is strongly evidenced by her earlier works. Come Fly Away will, for sure be another success. The production will bring together Alliance designers team (Hetrick par 3). The team will include set designer James Youmans, costume designer Katherine Roth, lighting designer Donald Holder, Patrick Vacciarello, David Pierce, Peter McBoyle and Don Sebesky.

Conclusion

American musical theatre has witnessed great improvement over the last century. Today, American musical theater has an identity different from other musical theaters in the world. Various musical artists have contributed to the success. Twyla Tharp is one of the most influential artists in musical dances. In her career of more than forty years, Tharp’s influence is evident in American modern dance. Tharp’s creativity both as a dancer and as a choreographer has made her to be relevant in dance musical for so long. At start of her career, Tharp ventured in designs that did not conform to conventional dances. Her creative use of dancing space made her dances very successful. Tharp is among the artists that have participated in much collaboration. Her career has seen her collaborate with many dancers, dancing companies. This aspect of her of her character allowed her opportunity to gain from other people. Tharp’s success is evident in many award and recognition that she has received in her career. Movin’ Out of 2003 earned her the Tony Award among other Broadway recognitions. The anticipated, Come Fly Away, dance musical is expected to be another success. As Americans celebrate success in American Musical Theater, Twyla Tharp will always be remembered.

Reference List

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Anderson, Jack. American Dance Festival. Ballet Today, September-October 1969.

Ballet Theatre production. Twyla Tharp. Feb,2008. Web.

Bleiberg, Laura. Review: Miami City Ballet perform Twyla Tharp and Elvis Costello’s Nightpot. 2008.

Bordman, Gerald. American Musical Theatre: a chronicle. New York: Oxford University press, 1992.

Hetrick, Adam.Tharp’s Come Fly Away to Land at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre in March. 2010.

Jack Anderson. Twyla Tharp & Co. Metropolitan Museum of Art 1970. Dance Magazine, 1970.

Jones, John. Our musical, ourselves: a social history of the American musical theatre. UPNE, 2003.

Kislan, Richard. The musical: a look at the American musical theatre. New York:Prentice-Hall, 1980.

McDonagh. The Rise & Fall & Rise of Modern Dance. Chicago: A Cappella Books, 1990.

Murray, Mathew. Theatre review: Movin’ Out. 2002.

Siegel, Marcia Howling Near Heaven: Twyla Tharp and the Reinvention of Modern Dance. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006. Web.

Tharp, Twyla. Push Comes to Shove. New York: Bantam Books, 1992.

Tharp, Twyla & Reiter, Mark. The Creative habit: Learn it and use it for life: a practical guide. New York: Somon & Schuster, 2003.

Tharp, Twyla & Kornbluth, Jesse. The Collaborative Habit: Life Lesson for Working Together. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Tharp, Twyla. Push come to shove. New York. Bantam, 1992.

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