Twyla Tharp '63 Wins National Medal of Arts
 Choreographer Twyla Tharp '63 has been awarded the 2004 National Medal of Arts, the highest government award to artists and patrons in recognition of their contributions to the arts.
Tharp, who won the 2003 Best Choreography Tony Award for the Broadway musical "Movin' Out," began her career in 1965 (two years after graduating from Barnard) with the founding of her company Twyla Tharp Dance. In 1988, Twyla Tharp Dance merged with American Ballet Theatre where Tharp created more than a dozen works. Since that time Ms. Tharp has choreographed dances for many companies including the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, the Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
In all, Tharp has choreographed more than 125 dances, five Hollywood movies, directed and choreographed two Broadway shows, and written two books. In addition to the Tony, she has received two Emmy Awards, 17 honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award and numerous grants, including a MacArthur "genius" fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Seven others also received the National Medal of Arts along with Tharp, including author Ray Bradbury and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
"These eight individuals have significantly enriched the cultural life of our nation through their creativity, teaching, and beneficent work," stated National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia. "These artists and this foundation have given us new ways of understanding and delighting in the world."
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