Overview

A flourish of trumpets heralds the double bill of premieres celebrating Twyla Tharp’s 50th Anniversary. In each premiere, Tharp turns her decades of experience – having choreographed Hollywood films, television specials, Broadway shows, figure-skating routines and full-length ballets– into living proof that time is her partner as she continues to deepen and expand the singular imagination which makes her one of the century’s most treasured artists. By combining different forms of movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing and inventions of her own making – Tharp’s work expands the boundaries of ballet and modern dance. John Zorn provides the show’s vibrant introductory Fanfare, followed by brand new works Preludes and Fugues set to J.S. Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" and Yowzie set to the raucous humor of Henry Butler and Steve Bernstein’s jazz. The Wallis and four national powerhouse co-commissioners - the Auditorium Theatre and Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Joyce Theater in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. , TITAS Presents and AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas - present this Anniversary Tour.