Review: Twyla Tharp's Crazy Creative World

Twyla Tharp has been a major player in the dance world for fifty years, and is one of the most prolific, living American choreographers. While many know her from her work in Hair, Tharp's body of work is much larger. According to the program, Tharp has created over 160 works including "129 dances, 12 television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows, and two figure skating routines." To celebrate the last fifty years, she is taking her company on tour to seventeen cities across the country. Wednesday night's performance (through Saturday) at the Kennedy Center was the tour's penultimate stop before a New York finale. Contrary to initial expectations, Tharp is not touring with her revamped greatest hits, but, instead, she has created new works to celebrate her moment. According to Tharp, these works depict the world. Preludes and Fugues shows the world as it should be, Yowzie as it is, and Fanfares is a little of both. Like a fanfare, the performance starts off loud with a blow of a horn and crescendos, building momentum until its final moment.

If Yowzie is Tharp's view of the world as it is, then she thinks that it is completely absurd. Dancers are costumed in mismatched and clashing techno-colored nightmares, with funny hats or impractical headpieces. The dancers movements, set to swing music, are fast-paced and intricate. They do not follow the usual ballet script. The performers dance around, behind, and through each other-sometimes interrupting vignettes and stories. The world does not revolve around any of these dancers; it keeps spinning onto to the next story. A dancer deals with heartbreak through alcohol, eventually passing out on stage; a couple gets high and their movements become giggly; a man leaves his female partner for a flirtatious male duo; and another man proposes to his partner on stage. Tharp's world is messy and filled with conflicting emotions; however, the movements and music create an overarching joyful tone. Life is hard, but it's worth it.

Preludes and Fugues is simpler and more pared down than Yowzie. Tharp relies on a strict structure to achieve this effect. The dancers are introduced in pairs or small groups to establish their personalities and voices. The audience is not overwhelmed with all her movement right away, similar to dipping a toe into a swimming pool to adjust to the temperature. While the configuration of the work is simple, the choreography is interesting and weird. It starts off with long, lyrical movements and gets stranger and stranger throughout. One pas de deux consists almost entirely of stylized hopping. It is delightful. Tharp is clearly enjoying herself creating "the world as it should be." It's fun and unexpected.

Each piece is prefaced with a fanfare of horns and explosive leaps and lifts. The First Fanfare, before Preludes and Fugues, is simple allowing the audience to entirely focus on the dancers. The Second Fanfare uses a backlit red scrim to allow the dancers in front to appear in silhouette, while the dancers behind can play with shadow. It's a stunning effect. Throughout the evening, Twyla keeps building, creating a visual cacophony of movement. The result is a celebration of dance, joy, and Twyla.

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