Bum's Rush
O’Day, Bichton and Sanchez in performance. Photo by Martha Swope.
Members of Twyla Tharp Dance in performance.
Colton and Washington in performance. Photo by Martha Swope.
Premiere
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Date
4 February 1988
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Company
Twyla Tharp Dance
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Location
Melbourne, Australia
Production
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Choreographer
Twyla Tharp
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Composers
Michel Colombier,
Percy Grainger,
Spike Jones
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Arranger
Michel Colombier
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Lighting Designer
Jennifer Tipton
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Costume Designer
Santo Loquasto
Dancers
Elaine Kudo, Amy Spencer, Ellen Troy, Shelley Washington
Jamie Bishton, Gil Boggs, Richard Colton, Kevin O’Day, Tom Rawe, Daniel Sanchez, Kevin Santee
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Number of Dancers
11
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Runtime
00:19:03
Description
Bum’s Rush is an absurdist ballet structured as a vaudeville show. The piece opens with a man standing alone on a bare stage. As the light comes up, he doubles over in a fit of hysterical laughter. A trio of tramps enters, interspersing their dance with bawdy jokes; a man in squeaking sneakers provides the soundtrack for a duet.
The sections are incongruous and the situations nonrealistic but each serves to extend the theme of miscommunication and the conflict between verbal and physical languages.
A year after Tharp’s company performed Bum’s Rush, American Ballet Theatre produced a revised version of the ballet, featuring an elaborate set and an original score by Dick Hyman.
Past Performances
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bums Rush – The Fugue – Nine Sinatra Songs | Twyla Tharp Dance
Melbourne, Australia
February 4 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bums Rush – The Fugue – Nine Sinatra Songs | Twyla Tharp Dance
Sydney, Australia
February 18 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bums Rush – The Fugue – Nine Sinatra Songs | Twyla Tharp Dance
Perth, Australia
March 1 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bums Rush – The Fugue – Nine Sinatra Songs | Twyla Tharp Dance
The Opera Theatre
Adelaide, Australia
March 10 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bums Rush – The Fugue – Nine Sinatra Songs | Twyla Tharp Dance
Canberra, Australia
March 17 1988 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Bums Rush – The Fugue – Nine Sinatra Songs | Twyla Tharp Dance
Wellington, New Zealand
March 23 1988 TTD Performance
American Ballet Theatre
Bum's Rush – In The Upper Room | American Ballet Theatre
Chicago, IL
February 8 1989 Repertory
American Ballet Theatre
Bums Rush – Quartet – The Fugue – In The Upper Room | American Ballet Theatre
Auditorium Theater
Chicago, IL
February 18 1989 Repertory
American Ballet Theatre
In The Upper Room – Bum's Rush – Quartet – Everlast | American Ballet Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
March 9 1989 Repertory
American Ballet Theatre
Everlast – Quartet – Bum's Rush | American Ballet Theatre
New York, NY
May 20 1989 Repertory
- 1988
- 1989