Twyla Tharp is a famous American dancer and choreographer who mixes ballet with modern dance. Born in 1941, she grew up in a family that ran a drive-in movie theater, learned a huge list of instruments and dance styles, and even woke up at 5:00 AM every day to exercise and stay in top shape. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Fun Facts About Her Childhood and Career
- Named After a Pig Princess: Her mother named her after Twila Thornburg, who was crowned the "Pig Princess" at a local fair. Her mother changed the spelling to "Twyla" because she thought it would look nicer on a theater sign. [1]
- An Action-Packed Playroom: When she was a kid, her parents built a special playroom in their California house. It had a built-in tap-dancing floor, ballet bars, acrobatics mats, and closets full of tutus, batons, and capes. [1]
- She Learned Everything: Before she was a teenager, her mother had her take lessons in piano, violin, drums, French, German, painting, shorthand, and many different types of dance
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