25 min listen
Twyla Tharp and Justin Peck: High Priests of Creative Movement
FromWhat It Takes®
ratings:
Length:
59 minutes
Released:
Jun 28, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
These two choreographers have pushed dance in bold new directions and brought it to a much wider audience. Both Twyla Tharp and Justin Peck are classically-trained dancers who have created works for the ballet, for Broadway, and for the movies. Twyla Tharp, who is about to turn 80, is an icon of the dance world. She has spent six decades challenging ideas about how the body can move. In 1973 she created what is considered the first "crossover" piece, combining ballet and modern dance, but she says she is not interested in categories; dance is dance. Justin Peck, at 33, is still in the early days of his career, but he is already choreographer-in-residence at the New York City Ballet and choreographer for the new film version of "West Side Story," directed by Steven Spielberg (coming out in December, 2021). They both talk here about how their childhoods shaped their intense passion for movement and music, and they both describe beautifully how it feels when they are dancing.
Released:
Jun 28, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Jonas Salk: Vanquisher of Polio: Before Jonas Salk created the Polio vaccine, thousands of children died every year or were left paralyzed by the virus (adults too). In 1952 alone, there were 58,000 cases in the United States. When news of the discovery was made public on April 12, 1955, Jonas Salk was hailed as a miracle worker. He further endeared himself to the public by refusing to patent the vaccine. He had no desire to profit personally from the discovery, but merely wished to see the vaccine disseminated as widely as possible. The interview with Dr. Salk featured in this episode was recorded in 1991. In it, Salk talks about being the child of uneducated immigrants, and carving his own path to medical school and eventually virology -- a specialty that didn't exist when he began as a researcher. He discusses the anti-semitic quotas he had to overcome, as well as the doubt and scorn of many of his peers. But he also describes the transformation and relief his polio vaccine brou by What It Takes®