Twyla Tharp Lifetime Achievement Award

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Video is the "Text of Choice" for Dance, Twyla Tharp We were delighted to read that our favorite choreographer and longtime video artist Twyla Tharp will be honored in December with the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award along with rockers Pete Townsend/Roger Daltrey, Morgan Freeman, Barbra Steisand and country singer George Jones. The New York Times reports in today's editions: The choreographer Twyla Tharp, 67, was cited by Mr. Schwarzman as an “American original, whose work has indelibly enriched the vocabulary of modern dance, contemporary ballet and the Broadway musical.” In an interview Ms. Tharp said the honors were “a confirmation to people’s commitment to feeling” and to “the usefulness of the arts in America.” Last year, I spent time with Twyla talking about creativity and the role of video. I have reposted one in the series of interviews. Twyla speaks about the importance of video as both archive and as a teaching tool. She calls video the "true text of choice for dance." Congratulations Twyla! Oh, and btw, we danced together! -- Andy Plesser, Executive Producer