Twyla Tharp

Career Trajectory

Twyla Tharp began her professional career in the mid-1960s, initially working within the postmodern dance avant-garde before achieving international recognition with *Push Comes to Shove* (1976), a watershed moment that proved classical ballet and contemporary innovation could coexist. She subsequently expanded her reach across Broadway, film, and television while maintaining an uncompromising artistic vision, creating a body of work distinguished by formal invention, emotional authenticity, and an almost anthropological curiosity about movement across all cultural registers. Today, at the apex of her career, Tharp stands as a towering figure whose influence extends far beyond dance into the broader landscape of American performance.