Twyla Tharp

“If art is the bridge between what you see in your mind and what the world sees, then skill is how you build that bridge.”

“The ultimate point of a piece for me is that it drives the next one. Does it open new doors? That's the success of a piece.”

“I started formal piano training when I was 4. From there I had little violas, and I had dancing lessons of every sort and description, and painting lessons. I had German. And shorthand.”

“Counterpoint is a component that gives real energy, and it is about optimism.”

“You don’t get lucky without preparation, and there’s no sense in being prepared if you’re not open to the possibility of a glorious accident.”

“These days, I think we could all agree that having a just-friend is not a bad thing.”

“I never studied with Balanchine, but his work was very important to me.”

“Dance is just like film in that it allows for thoughts in movement.”

“If you're speaking of love, you really must include the element of uncertainty - and perhaps it's best approached as the art of constant maintenance.”

“With each piece I've completed I have worked to make it intact, and each of them has been an equal high. It's like children. A mother refuses to pick out one as a favorite, and I can't do any better with the dances.”

“I work because I have issues and questions and feelings and thoughts that I want to have a look at. I'm not in need of, or wanting, particularly, to know what other folk are up to.”

“Everyone has a talent. It's simply a question of good discipline, of the good fortune to have an education that meshes with that talent, and a lot of luck.”

“Nothing is more terrifying to me, really, than the status quo. I'll make mistakes before I keep doing something the same way.”

“Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism.”

“I don't judge. Judgment is not my business. Existing is my business.”

“Dance should not just divide people into audience and performers. Everyone should be a participant, whether going to classes or attending special events or rehearsals.”

“In the not-for-profit world, there can be wastefulness because there's not the desperate urgency of when you're on a clock.”

“The artist doesn't really think about consequences - he or she does the work, stands back and looks at and thinks, 'Hmm, that could have worked better like this.' But as a person who needs to sell tickets to do the next work, one needs to analyze how it does or does not hit its mark.”

“I realize that dancers have worked long and hard for standards. However, on occasion, I think that it's good to examine one's heart and ask why are we dancing.”

“I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.”