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‘Twyla Moves’ (SXSW review)

Twyla Moves is perhaps the most accurate title of any film I’ve ever seen.

This amazing documentary premiering at SXSW is about the life and creative process of dancer/choreographer extraordinaire Twyla Tharp. It chronicles her epic body of work, as well as how she approaches the unique challenges of the industry she helped pioneer and reinvent.

Twyla Moves is one of those rare documentaries that pulls back the curtain to show a world very few people ever get to see.

The intimacy in this documentary comes from an unprecedented access to the creative process rarely gained by the curious.

Normally documentaries discuss “humble beginnings” to illustrate a juxtaposition with their subject’s inevitable rise, but in Tharp’s case that doesn’t really apply as nothing about Tharp’s beginning was humble.

From starting her career with some of the biggest names in dance, to outgrowing them and setting out on her own, Twyla Tharp proved from the start to be iconic. Her story and dedication are contagious.

If you love dance, you’ll love this documentary, if you know very little about dance, you’ll REALLY love this documentary.

Twyla Moves, directed by Emmy Award-winning director Steven Cantor, features never before seen interviews and shows select performances from some of Twyla Tharp’s greatest works. Some of the amazing creative forces who sing Twyla’s praises here include Misty Copeland, Billy Joel, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and David Byrne among others.

The documentary profiles some of Tharp’s more commonly known works like the Milos Foreman film Hair, and White Nights starring Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines. Hair, which she worked on an entire year before it was even shot, had incredible, innovative moves that included dancers literally flying through fire without using stunt doubles. When it comes to her choreography on the extremely popular White Nights, Tharp described her work on the film as being a “referee” between two dance legends with vastly different styles.

Both those masterworks notwithstanding, it was the in-depth view of a piece she created in the early eighties called The Catherine Wheel that I found to be the most intriguing look at Tharp’s work.

The Catherine Wheel was deemed so difficult and physically exhausting that there were legitimate concerns the dancers may not make it through an entire performance. This point was driven home by Tharp constantly pointing out the importance of a dancer’s physical fitness. In Tharp’s autobiography Push Comes to Shove she is quoted as saying: “One of the inspirations in my work is the trust my dancers show in consigning their bodies to me.” This explains why her dancers didn’t pass out every night performing her work – they trusted her.

Don’t think for a second that Tharp is one of those choreographers who doesn’t walk the walk. One of the most striking pieces of video in Twyla Moves shows a physically spent Tharp gasping for air, drenched in sweat, telling the crew she just needed “three minutes” to recover. She wasn’t being stoic, she knew it needed to be done again, and three minutes seemed to be all she would allow herself to restore.

Interspersed throughout her chronicled work history, Twyla Moves shows a new piece Tharp is creating during COVID. Over Zoom, plagued by tech issues, during the pandemic, with dancers from all over the world, Twyla Tharp simply never stops as she molds a brand-new work from behind her computer screen.

Obviously, with a historic body of work, and a head full of grey hair, one can surmise Tharp is a woman of a certain age, but you’d never call her old. In fact, you won’t believe her real age even after you look it up. Tharp says, “All dancers know there is only one way out and that is forward,” and this explains Tharp’s entire life.

I highly recommend this documentary as well as seeking out the films she choreographed, Hair (1979) and White Nights (1985). If you get the opportunity to see any of her works live on stage, don’t hesitate.

*  *  *  *  *
Produced by Steven Cantor, Jamie Schutz
Directed by Steven Cantor
Featuring Twyla Tharp, Mikhail Baryshnikov, David Byrne,
Billy Joel,  Herman Cornejo, Jesse Huot, Misty Copeland

 

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  1. Pingback: Checkout these SXSW Alumni releases in January - Time Warner Entertainment

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