Posted
on July 1, 2013
What
can you do with your life when you are named after a Pig Princess?
The
89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana crowned a “Pig
Princess” (as in every other year)—this particular year a woman
named Twila Thornburg. This was the crowning glory of Ms. Thornburg's
life, so we won't be mentioning her again.
A
little baby girl born on this date in 1941 was named Twyla after that
Pig Princess.
And
Twyla Tharp grew up to become a famous dancer and choreographer!
Although
she was born on a farm in Indiana, Tharp grew up close to where I
live, in Rialto, California. She worked hard as a kid. Her mom had
her take a lot of lessons after school:
ballet
tap dance
jazz dance
modern dance
piano
drum
viola
violin
shorthand
German
French
Ummm!!!
Also,
Tharp worked at the family business, a drive-in movie theater, from
age 8 on.
And
she probably worked hard on schoolwork, because she went to Pomona
College (which is even closer to where I live! Just down the street,
really!) – and that college is pretty hard to get into.
Tharp
kept taking dance classes all that time, and when moved to New York
City, she was able to study with some really important dancers and
choreographers.
A
huge contribution that Tharp made to dance as a choreographer,
herself, is the crossover ballet. She merged ballet with jazz,
modern, and ballroom dance—and this style became very popular. Some
of Tharp's shows are based on popular music by bands and singers such
as the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan. I got to see a great Tharp show
called Movin' Out, with dances set to the music and lyrics of
Billy Joel.
Also
on this date:
Independence Day in Burundi
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest pages on
July
holidays, historical
anniversaries in July, and July
birthdays.
And
here are my Pinterest pages on August holidays, historical anniversaries in August, and August birthdays.
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