Can you choreograph creativity? Yes, you.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Requiem for a Rose by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
I went to the library looking for a certain book and, as often happens in the magic serendipity of the stacks, I found Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit instead. If you aren't a dancer or don't follow dance, you may not know her name - she's a choreographer who has created more than 100 ballets for all the world's great companies, as well as dances for broadway, film and television. Turns out she has quite a lot to say about creativity. (Expect a follow-up post.)
Her book reminded me of one of the most striking dances I've ever seen - Requiem for a Rose by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. When I watched this ballet performed by the Austin Ballet, I knew nothing about Ochoa or her work. I knew nothing about her throughline. I only knew what I felt. It's a work that has stuck with me.
To watch this video is to see some of the struggle that Tharp discusses in her book. And how Ochoa uses where she struggles to challenge herself to grow as an artist. That's something we can all do.
“Once again, we have to do it again, guys. We can’t go backwards. We have to improve every day.”
