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Ballet Barre Explained: Plié and the 5 Positions
Twyla Tharp meticulously explains the foundational exercises of ballet barre work, starting with the purpose of strengthening the body for jumps and pointework, and detailing the plié (folding) and the five basic foot positions.
Ballet Barre Explained: Tendu, Rond de Jambe, and Ballet's Linear Roots
Twyla Tharp continues her explanation of ballet barre exercises, covering tendu (stretching), rond de jambe (circular movements), and highlighting how ballet's largely linear movements contrast with the circularity of rond de jambe, tracing its origins to fencing and emphasizing balance.
Ballet Barre Explained: Jumps, Power, and Body Control
Twyla Tharp concludes her explanation of ballet barre exercises, describing petit battement (little throws), frappé (beating), and grand battement (big throws), emphasizing how these movements develop the strength and "relevé" needed for powerful jumps and overall body control in ballet.
The Challenge of Too Many Options: Why Selectivity is Key for Experienced Creators
Twyla Tharp explains that while more knowledge brings bigger opportunities, it also brings more distractions. She advises that experienced creators must be highly selective about what they choose to work with, unlike in earlier phases where they might take whatever they could get. This selectivity is crucial to avoid being "wildly distracted by everything."
Would Leaders Make Better Decisions If They Honored Their Bodies?
Twyla Tharp poses a thought-provoking question about the "morality of the body," suggesting that if societal leaders truly honored and protected their physical bodies, their brains might not conceive some of the social systems and directives that currently exist.
Why Every Young Person Needs Diverse Movement and High Standards
Twyla Tharp and Andrew Huberman discuss the idea of integrating diverse forms of movement (gymnastics, stretching, jumping, rolling) into education for all ages, and the importance of maintaining high standards for personal development, reminiscing about a time when standards were universally high.
Creator vs. Audience: Balancing Vision and Expectation in Creative Work
Twyla Tharp discusses the delicate balance between a creator's personal vision and the audience's expectations. She outlines the extremes of audience manipulation versus complete disregard, revealing that she employs both depending on the project. The conversation delves into the importance of intention, contractual obligations, and how the "bottom line" often dictates creative choices, contrasting it with the "olden days" where artists aimed to "change the direction the earth rotated."
Why Success is Harder to Follow Than Failure: A Contrarian View
Andrew Huberman expresses surprise at Twyla Tharp's statement that "success is much harder to follow than failure." Tharp's perspective challenges the common belief that success builds confidence, implying that the pressure to innovate and reroute after a major achievement is more demanding than recovering from a setback.
Mikhail Baryshnikov: Beyond Sex and the City to Unmatched Ballet Technique
Twyla Tharp discusses the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov, noting that younger generations often recognize him more from "Sex and the City" than his classical ballet artistry. She details his political significance as a defector, his undeniable charisma, and crucially, his "unquestionably...unmatched" ballet technique, calling it a "culmination of the 20th century." She emphasizes that while few saw him build his "chops" at the bar, he was capable of expanding and breaking boundaries with that power.
The Neuroscience of Feeling Emotion Through Performance
Andrew and Twyla discuss how opera singers and dancers might evoke emotion in an audience by engaging fundamental body-brain mechanisms, suggesting that the audience's own body might vibrate at a similar frequency, creating a sense of shared emotion.
Make Everything Transactional: What Can You Use?
Twyla Tharp succinctly advises adopting a "transactional" mindset towards all experiences, constantly asking: "What serves me here? What can I use?" This approach, though sometimes misunderstood, is crucial for continuous learning and creative growth.
The Key Differences: Ritual vs. Practice vs. Habit
This clip provides clear and concise definitions of 'ritual,' 'practice,' and 'habit,' distinguishing their purposes and implications. Twyla Tharp explains ritual as actions performed to accomplish a specific goal or control, practice as consistent, ongoing activity, and habit as something done out of routine. She highlights the danger of habit's rigidity versus practice's flexibility in achieving a goal.
The Creative Isolation: Why Twyla Tharp Sees Nothing Anymore
Twyla Tharp explains her shift from observing "absolutely everything" in her early career to "absolutely nothing" now. She emphasizes the importance of feeling isolated as a creator to operate from a truthful place. She describes how she informs herself about culture through a media perspective, gaining a double perspective (artist and journalist) to discern what is truly grounded and productive amidst the "swirl of stuff."
A Neuroscientist's Take on Boxing Training for Brain Health
Andrew Huberman discusses the benefits of boxing training methods like shadow boxing and speed bag work for improving visual coordination and brain function, while cautioning against sparring due to head trauma.
Twyla Tharp: A Creative Phenom Defying Age with Strength and Discipline
Andrew Huberman introduces Twyla Tharp, highlighting her incredible physical prowess even at 84, including deadlifting over 200 pounds and bench pressing her body weight. He emphasizes her ongoing 5 AM, two-hour daily gym routine as a testament to her hard work and discipline.
Twyla Tharp's Brutal Honesty: Don't Be a Dancer (Unless You Can't Not Be)
Twyla Tharp delivers a powerful and uncompromising perspective on the demands of elite performance, particularly in dance. She states that there's always a trade-off, performance stress is extreme, and the best performers often have the worst nerves. Her controversial advice is to 'don't choose that profession' unless you absolutely cannot imagine doing anything else, emphasizing that true dedication for such a demanding path is a self-selecting force.
The True Test of Desire: 'Do You Like It More Than It Sucks?'
Following a discussion on self-selection for elite paths, Twyla Tharp offers a crucial distinction: telling someone *not* to do something can be counterproductive 'bait.' Instead, she advises pushing people to truly question their desire, asking if they can find anything else. Andrew Huberman adds a Navy SEAL's practical test: if you 'like it more than it sucks,' you'll be okay. This clip offers deep insight into genuine intrinsic motivation.
The Impact of Competition & Social Media on Young Dancers: Selling vs. Technique
Twyla Tharp provides a profound analysis of how modern dance competitions and social media have transformed the training and motivation of young dancers. She contrasts her era of strict genre borders and self-driven cross-training with today's landscape of early childhood competitions. Tharp argues that while these new systems make dancers 'hardened' and less nervous, they foster an extrinsic motivation focused on 'selling it' and gaining 'internet hits,' potentially short-changing technical mastery for audience manipulation, and doing it for reasons 'outside of the thing itself.'
The Power of a Name: How Twyla Tharp's Mother Engineered Her Stardom
This clip delves into the fascinating influence of names on identity and perception. Andrew Huberman introduces the idea that Twyla Tharp's name, 'Twilight,' shaped her. Tharp humorously reveals how her mother, with an eye for marketing, deliberately changed the spelling of 'Twilight' and ensured the alliteration with 'Tharp' (like 'Marilyn Monroe') to make it 'look better on a marquee.' This charming anecdote highlights her mother's 'subliminal thinking' to set Twyla on a path to stardom, showcasing the unexpected ways our names can guide our destinies.
The Creative Spine: Twyla Tharp's Core Concept for Staying on Track
Andrew Huberman and Twyla Tharp discuss the critical concept of "the spine" from her book, *The Creative Habit*. Tharp explains that the spine represents focus and concentration, acting as the central point that coordinates all elements of creative work. Without this grounded center, creators risk being lost at sea.
The More You Know, The Bigger Your Challenge: Twyla Tharp on Artistic Evolution
Twyla Tharp challenges the idea that an artist's best work is done early in their career when they know less. Using Beethoven's evolution from early to late quartets and his Diabelli Variations as an example, she argues that "the more you know, the bigger your challenge" and opportunity. She highlights how Beethoven's deafness forced him into a unique creative space, leading to profound and simple works he previously dismissed.
The Danger of 'Cubby-Holing': Why Creators Must Evolve Beyond Audience Expectations
Inspired by a quote from Gwyneth Paltrow ("People generally like to keep you where they found you"), Andrew Huberman and Twyla Tharp discuss the challenge creators face when their audience wants them to remain static. Tharp explains this phenomenon as "cubby-holing," where artists are constantly asked for their "hit" work. She argues that true artistic evolution requires change and moving beyond comfort zones, emphasizing that reinforcing past successes can be "deadly" for the creator.
Failure Isn't Good or Bad, It's Useful: Twyla Tharp's Approach to Mistakes
Twyla Tharp discusses the importance of "failing a lot in private" during the creative process. She clarifies that when working, one doesn't categorize efforts as "failure" or "success," but rather as "useful." If an action is exciting or generates a next question, it's useful, regardless of whether it's perceived as good or bad.
Inside Twyla Tharp's Studio: The Power of Schedule and Dancer Desire
Twyla Tharp details her disciplined approach to running a dance studio. She explains the crucial role of a strict schedule ("what time they're coming and what shoes to bring") in making creative choices and eliminating fantasy. She also reveals her unique method for selecting dancers, emphasizing that she looks for their unwavering desire and commitment—the willingness to "go through that wall"—rather than just their technical appropriateness.
Dancers vs. Athletes: The Unacceptable Pay Disparity in the Arts
Twyla Tharp highlights the stark and "unacceptable" disparity in earnings between dancers and athletes. She asserts that dancers, despite their intense physical training and work ethic—which she equates to business people and athletes—have "nowhere near the possibility of earning a living that a great athlete has," emphasizing the vast economic gap.
The Service of Art: Why Performance Creates Optimism and Demands a Price on Beauty
Twyla Tharp defines a successful performance as one where the audience leaves in a "better frame of mind," feeling optimism, joy, and a sense of community. She argues that art provides a vital service by confirming a "new righteousness" for individuals and fostering collective bonding. She passionately asserts that art, especially rare live performances, has immense value that should be compensated, concluding, "There should be a price point on beauty."
Why World-Renowned Choreographer Twyla Tharp Trained Like a Boxer
Twyla Tharp shares her personal story of taking up boxing training in her early 40s with Teddy Atlas to achieve peak physical condition for a new athletic dance piece, highlighting the extreme discipline and mental fortitude gained from boxing.
Twyla Tharp's Incredible Deadlift Journey and Personal Record
Twyla Tharp recounts her serious weightlifting journey from her 50s to mid-60s, training with competitive weightlifters, and achieving a personal record of a 227-pound deadlift, emphasizing the unique rush of pushing physical limits.
What Knows First? The Body's Intelligence vs. The Brain's Directives
Twyla Tharp and Andrew Huberman explore the intriguing question of whether the body possesses an innate intelligence that guides movement and learning before the brain consciously directs it, proposing that "perhaps we were a body that later got a brain."
Learning to Communicate Without Words: Lessons from a Drive-In Movie Theater
Twyla Tharp shares her unique upbringing watching movies at a drive-in without sound, which taught her to interpret action and movement wordlessly. Andrew Huberman adds his practice of "wordlessness" to experience life more deeply, highlighting the profound insights gained from nonverbal observation.
The Secret Language of Twins and How Movement Communicates Everything
Twyla Tharp recounts her twin brothers developing "italia," a guttural language, and how she became their translator, teaching her the power of nonverbal communication. Andrew shares a friend's twin story, emphasizing that movement often conveys meaning more directly than words.
Why Artists Need to Be Their Own Translators and Objective Critics
Twyla Tharp explains that many brilliant creatives struggle because they cannot "translate" their work for others or themselves, emphasizing the importance of objectivity—stepping outside one's creation to assess it unemotionally, becoming your own critic to ensure it "reads."
The Art of Receiving Criticism When Your Work is Your "Child"
Twyla Tharp offers profound advice on how to navigate external criticism, explaining the difficulty when creative work feels as personal as a child. She emphasizes the need for deep love for one's work while also developing the capacity for objectivity.
The Unattainable Standard: Why True Excellence Can Lead to Self-Hate
This clip delves into the development and emotional impact of an extremely high internal standard for excellence. Twyla Tharp shares how her concert pianist mother instilled an early understanding of quality, leading to the development of an 'unattainable' personal benchmark. She provocatively states that such a high standard means 'you're going to hate yourself a lot of the time,' offering a raw and honest look at the psychological cost of relentless self-improvement and the pursuit of mastery.
The Hard Truth of Aging: From Potent to Restricted and the Struggle for Acceptance
Twyla Tharp delivers a raw and honest account of the body's inevitable decline with age, calling it her 'least favorite topic' but 'most important.' She details the progression from youthful potency to the frustrations of restriction after 40, 65, and especially 80, where facility is lost and help is needed. This clip explores the tough questions of maintaining independence, graciously accepting help without shame, and preventing a declining body from being demoralizing, particularly for those deeply invested in their physical capabilities.
It's Not a Ritual, It's Reality: Twyla Tharp on Her 5 AM Gym Routine
Twyla Tharp explains her disciplined 5 AM, two-hour gym routine, clarifying that it's not a ritual she enjoys, but a reality. She shares her simple yet powerful philosophy for showing up even on days she doesn't want to: "If you don't work when you don't want to work, you're not going to be able to work when you do want to work."
The Unbelievable Research and Craft Behind the Movie Amadeus
Twyla Tharp shares incredible details about the extensive research and practical effects used during the filming of *Amadeus*, from studying Mozart's writings and original manuscripts to using period-accurate candles, stage mechanics, and even historically correct pollen for special effects, all shot in a restrictive regime that mirrored Mozart's own challenges.
The PhD Lesson: Working Hard for the Love of the Process, Not the Reward
Andrew Huberman and Twyla Tharp discuss the profound value of intrinsic motivation and delayed gratification. Huberman uses the example of a PhD, explaining it teaches you to work 'very very hard for something that only comes to you at earliest four years from now,' or even for 'no reward.' He shares a personal anecdote about his advisor's wisdom after a Science publication: 'You already got the party,' referring to the joy of the experiment itself, highlighting that loving the process leads to success.
The Brain-Body Connection: Move More, Age Less, and Embrace Friction
This clip explores the critical link between movement and brain longevity. Andrew Huberman highlights that declining brain function and curiosity in older age correlate with reduced movement, observing a linear drop-off after age 40. He uses the striking analogy of an ocean animal that eats its own brain upon settling to illustrate how the nervous system atrophies without movement, advocating to 'move more, move more, move more.' Twyla Tharp adds that it's also about *degree* and maintaining 'fearlessness' against boundaries, accepting pushback, and actively seeking 'friction points' to stay engaged and vital.
The Creative 'Box': Anchoring Ideas with Tangible Objects
Twyla Tharp explains her unique 'actual box' concept for fostering creativity. Beyond the metaphorical 'thinking outside the box,' she advocates for a physical box that holds tangible, sensory items representing the origin of an idea – like a rock whose physical resistance inspired a movement. This method serves as an anchor, helping creators remember their initial instinct and excitement when they feel lost, and to keep their creative process simple and true to its original spark.