The Collaboration Between Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov

Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer who lives and works in New York City. She is known for dance work in styles such as: classical, jazz and contemporary. In 1966, she formed her own company called Twyla Tharp Dance. However, in 1988, she disbanded her company and joined the American Ballet Theatre where she worked as the artistic associate alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Mikhail Baryshnikov spent the start of his career with Kirov Ballet in Leningrad until 1974 where he moved to New York City to become a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. 

Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov have combined their talents and collaborated to recreate for three outstanding Tharp ballets: ‘The Little Ballet’, ‘Sinatra Suite’ and ‘Push Comes to Shove.’ Their collaborative practice resolved around Baryshnikov performing Tharp's choreography.

Their work gained a lot of media press and articles were written about their collaboration: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-31-ca-805-story.html

Here are some videos showing their collaborative practice:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jFzGQ5VYi8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBzHzkZGrDw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifoOO5ZEC9g
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_aEbEqpLdc

Tharp and Baryshnikov collaborated together until 1990.