One of the foremost creative artists of the past half-century — groundbreaking choreographer and dancer Twyla Tharp, whose landmark works have bridged the divide between high and popular culture since the 1960s — will be the lead presenter at TEDxWoodstock at Town Hall Theatre on Saturday, June 27. One day earlier — on Friday, June 26 — Tharp will also lead a day-long masterclass at the theatre for local creative artists of all types. The masterclass will take place in the context of two, three-week online sessions for artists concerning the creative process, led by TEDxWoodstock organizer Deborah Greene and local artist Mica Celeste.
This year’s regional TEDx gathering marks the inaugural edition of the local TEDx event under the moniker of TEDxWoodstock. Past events in the four-year-old series, previously held under the heading TEDxHartlandHill, addressed questions of community, the art of living, and the concept of awe in human endeavors.
Twyla Tharp. Courtesy of the Twyla Tharp Foundation
The 2026 edition of the newly named TEDx event, titled “Art is…,” arrives at what organizer Greene terms “a pivotal moment for our communities at large. How society treats its artists tells us a great deal about what it is becoming. Whether creative voices are welcomed or pushed aside shapes culture far beyond galleries or stages.”
Tharp both champions and epitomizes that egalitarian and inclusive approach to the arts as a unifying force in today’s troubled world, when free expression and multiculturalism are under increasing attack, nationally and globally. Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Tharp has choreographed more than 160 works, including contemporary dances, ballets, Broadway shows, movies, television specials, and figure skating extravaganzas. She has received a Tony Award, two Emmys, nineteen honorary doctorates, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor. She is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
This week, in a wide-ranging email exchange between the Standard and the legendary dancemaker, Tharp explains some of her thoughts about creativity and the creative process, illuminating many of the topics she will address during her time in Woodstock later this month.
For the full story, please see our June 6 edition of the Vermont Standard.
