Twyla Tharp once said, “You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.” Vivacious, innovative and unique are a few of the words that come to mind when one thinks about the life and times of dancer, choreographer, and legend, Twyla Tharp. In her early life Twyla was constantly on the go. She was a busy child, who had a broad spectrum of dance experience. The author of Howling Near Heaven explains, “The oldest of four children, she had an ambitious mother who pushed her into improving studies from preschool age: piano, violin, viola, elocution, painting, German and French, baton twirling, and of course, dance lessons” (Siegel, 3). With an early life as busy as Twyla’s, there is no surprise that her ambition, drive and talent only continued as she grew up. Twyla began her educational path at Pomona College and studied dance. She later transferred to Barnard College and honed in on her talents in ballet at the American Ballet Theatre. At the tender age of 23 she began her own dance company, The Twyla Tharp Dance Company, and in the early 1970’s it achieved great success. Some of the most famous productions were Time Goes By (1973) and her first Broadway hit in 1980, When We Were very Young (Biography.com). Being such a dominant force that early in her life foreshadowed the success that was bound to follow Twyla. The author explains: She disliked thinking any one movement was more interesting than any other; she didn’t work for rising and falling curves of excitement, dramatic climaxes, and picturesque stage effects. If there was to be any thrill involved, it should come from the extraordinary range of challenges she threw at the dancers and the audience (Siegel, 21). Her colorful and vast dance experience surely played a role in the development of her dance style and creations that are so widely known and acclaimed. Tharp used dance as an outlet of expression and brought life to her pieces. Furthermore, �