Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22 – “Push Comes to Shove” and “The Creative Habit” by Twyla Tharp
On Thursday, I told myself I would take a ballet class in the morning but then didn’t (sorry, Twyla); I spent the morning on the Lakefill until it started raining and then read in Deering for the rest of the day. Today, I spent the morning at Big Shoulders Coffee (decent coffee, but sitting room was weird–there was only one big table in the middle and then just barstools) and the afternoon at Asado Coffee Roasters (I liked the coffee; I lucked out with a comfy couch and the atmosphere was very calm).
Guys, I really love Twyla Tharp.
I think this might be because I identify with her very, very, very closely in a lot of ways.
But damn.
I’m a fan.
“Push Comes to Shove” is her autobiography, in which she details her development from a Graham/Cunningham dancer to being one of the most successful and influential modern choreographers out there. She grew up leading a very disciplined, internal, focused life–one of the reasons I identify so closely with her. In the book, she has a picture of a schedule she’d written out for herself when she was twelve. She has every second of the day, from 6am until 9:30pm, planned out. It warms my heart. It is beautiful and hilarious.
Tharp is also pretty full of herself in this book, but she is willing to admit it–she talks about how she made absurd demands of ballet companies for which she choreographed, and how she realizes their absurdity now. Which, if you ask me, makes it better than being full of yourself and never admitting it.
My favorite parts were when she talked about her son, Jesse. When he was young, she would have him in the room during rehearsals (the only rule was “don’t step on the baby”). As he got older, she sent him off to boarding school, and we don’t get a lot of him then (although he did send her a letter asking her to write to him more often). And as he grows into a young adult, he helps her sort through reviews because he knows she can’t handle reading the particularly harsh ones, and he tells her not to get romantically involved with men she’s working with because he knows that never works out for her. Jesse’s the best. And this is the first time any of these choreographers have actually written about their kids as real human beings, rather than as children or accessories to their stories. So that’s really refreshing.
“The Creative Habit” is just a brilliant book. No matter who you are, whether you’re a dancer or not, you should absolutely read it. I highly, highly, highly recommend it. It’s more of a self-help book than anything; Tharp goes through her methods for creativity (which are clearly rooted in that self-imposed schedule from when she was twelve; she believes strongly in routine and self-discipline) and how they can apply to anyone. It’s part exercises, part advice, and part anecdote, but in general just really incredible. She mentions some life events that she detailed in “Push Comes to Shove,” so reading about those in a different context and being able to fully understand from where they came was really nice for me.
The next couple days will be spent with “Howling Near Heaven,” a biography of Tharp written by Marcia Siegel, and I’m really excited to read about her brilliance from a whole different point of view.
(I’m a bit enamored).