The lady is a Tharp – Twyla brings 50 years of dance to Modesto

In the world of dance, few choreographers attain first-name basis status.

But thanks to her eclectic artistry, with a little assist from Robin Williams, Twyla Tharp has remained among the most recognized names in dance going on 50 years strong. To help celebrate that milestone anniversary, the dancer and choreographer is bringing a commemorative tour to Gallo Center for the Arts on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Tharp, who was famously name-dropped by Williams during a dance rehearsal scene in the 1996 comedy “The Birdcage,” has led a versatile and varied career that has taken her from the stage to screen and even the skating rink. In 1965, she foundedTwyla Tharp Dance.

Over the course of the past five decades, the New York-based artist has choreographed 129 dances, 12 TV specials, six feature films, four Broadway shows, four full-length ballets and two figure-skating routines. Her work has earned her several shelves’ worth of honors, from a Tony Award to two Emmys, a National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor.

The reason for her success, said longtime dancer and company member Matthew Dibble, is as unmistakeable as it is simple. “Because she is good. She is single-minded and all about the work. That’s very impressive. She is so hard-working; she works harder than anyone I’ve ever met,” Dibble said of his 75-year-old boss. “Twyla is a real force.”

Dibble has been working with Tharp since 1997, when he was at the Royal Ballet School in London. He said they “clicked straightaway” and have been working together since.

Her signature style crosses many genres and pulls from the world of modern dance, traditional ballet, jazz movements and even boxing. She has set her dances to everything from classical music to pop songs.

“I don’t think you can really nail her down. The minute you start to nail Twyla down, it gets very confusing. Her style is you know it when you see it. But you really know it’s her work,” Dibble said.

The 50th anniversary tour kicked off last year. Twyla Tharp Dance disbanded in the late 1980s when she joined the American Ballet Theatre. It re-emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And now it’s back for the new shows.

The tour features 10 dancers, who range from veteran performers such as Dibble to young dancers from the Juilliard School.

“Twyla always picks a bunch of vibrant people. She is very good at bringing people together from many different genres and techniques and making it work,” Dibble said. “We tend to forget because a lot of great choreographers are dead, but Twyla is still alive. The lady is still alive and making good work. For young dancers, this is quite an opportunity.”

The new tour is a retrospective of sorts. It includes three dances: “Country Dances,” “Brahms Paganini” and “Beethoven Op. 130.” The pieces take the audience on a chronological journey through Tharp’s work. The first two works premiered in 1976 and 1980, respectively. “Beethoven Op. 130” debuted earlier this summer.

“Audiences are able to see a good span of her work through the ages. Then ‘Beethoven Op. 130’ was made just recently. You get to see a progression of a choreographer, a progression of Twyla,” Dibble said. “It’s very rare you get to see a whole evening of one choreographer now. It’s actually pretty educational.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 11:03 AM with the headline "The lady is a Tharp – Twyla brings 50 years of dance to Modesto."