Deuce Coupe

The Joffrey Ballet:

Henry Berg, Eileen Brady, Donna Cowen, Starr Danias, Erika Goodman, Larry Grenier, Beatriz Rodriguez, Christine Uchida, Glenn White, William Whitener, Rebecca Wright

Twyla Tharp Dance:

Gary Chryst, Isabel Garcia-Lorca, Kenneth Rinker, Sara Rudner, Twyla Tharp, Nina Wiener, Rose Marie Wright

Matrix I — Ailes de pigeon through Attitude

Rebecca Wright, Whitener, Goodman

Little Deuce Coupe — Balancé through Ballon

White, Danias, Berg with Rodriguez, Rose Marie Wright, Grenier, Wiener, Rudner, Rinker, Tharp, Rebecca Wright, Chryst, Garcia-Lorca, Uchida, Cowen, Brady, Whitener, and Goodman

Honda I — Balloné battu through Déboulés

Grenier, Wiener, Rinker, and Goodman

Honda II — Changement de pieds through Dégagé a la quatrième devant en l’air

Chryst, Tharp, and Goodman

Devoted To You — Dégagé en tournant (see: Détourné en l’air, rotation) through Failli

Chryst, Grenier, Rudner, Tharp, and Goodman

How She Boogalooed It — Faux through Manège

Berg, Chryst, Garcia-Lorca, Grenier, Rinker, Rodriguez, Rudner, Tharp, Uchida, Whitener, Wiener, and Goodman

Matrix II — Pas de Basque sur les pointes through Pas de chat

Rebecca Wright, White, Rodriguez, Uchida, Goodman

Alley Oop — Pas de cheval through Répétition

Chryst, Garcia-Lorca, Grenier, Rinker, Rudner, Tharp, Whitener, Uchida, Wiener, and Goodman

Take A Load Off Your Feet — Retiré through Sissonne tombé

Grenier, Rinker, Tharp, and Goodman

Long Tall Texan — Six through Suite

Rose Marie Wright, Tharp, and Goodman

Papa Ooh Mau Mau

Garcia-Lorca, Grenier, Rinker, Rudner, Whitener, and Wiener

Catch A Wave

Grenier, Tharp, Garcia-Lorca, Rinker, and Wiener

Got To Know The Woman — Temps de cuisse through Temps lié

Rudner, Goodman

Matrix III — Temps lié, grand through Voyage

Goodman

Don’t Go Near The Water

Garcia-Lorca, Rodriguez, Rudner, Tharp, Uchida, Wiener, Rebecca Wright, Rose Marie Wright

Matrix IV

Cowen

Mama Says

Berg, Rinker, White, Whitener with Brady

Wouldn’t It Be Nice

Uchida with Berg, Brady, Cowen, Danias, Rodriguez, White, Whitener, Rebecca Wright

Cuddle Up — The Pas

Full Company

Commissioned by Robert Joffrey for The Joffrey Ballet, Deuce Coupe stands both as Tharp’s first major commission and the first cross-over ballet, a dance that forms a bridge between modern and classical styles. Set to songs by the iconic American band The Beach Boys, Tharp merged her company with the Joffrey Ballet and created a work that showcased each company’s strengths.

Grounding the piece in classical technique, a solo ballerina dressed in white unflinchingly executes the entire ballet vocabulary from “Ailes de Pigeon” to “Voyage” throughout the dance. She is the eye of the hurricane as the rest of the dancers swirl and boogie around her.

Tharp hired graffiti artists – artists considered vandals and criminals at the time – to spray paint the backdrop live onstage, challenging the exclusivity of “high art.” Scrolls of white canvas were slowly rolled upwards, eventually covering the entire backdrop with the artists’ tags.

From the March 27th, 1973 program:

“Thanks to United Graffiti Artists Hugo Martinez, Phase 2, Snake I, Rick II, Stitch I, Coco 144, SJK 171, Jec, Ray-B 954, Stay High 149, Soda I, C.A.T. 87, Rican 619, Riff 170, Charmin 65, Lee 163, Henry 161, Cano I, Snake 131, Bug 170, Nova I, Tom 177, and for their participation in this ballet.”