Jenkins, Rudner, Tharp in Twelve Foot Change wearing sunglasses and parkas and standing in a line Jenkins, Rudner, Tharp in Twelve Foot Change wearing sunglasses and parkas and standing in a line

Yancey Dance

Tharp, Rudner and Jenkins (front to back) in Twelve Foot Change (1966), an early version of Yancey Dance. Photo by Robert Barry.

Premiere

  • Date

    1 July 1967

  • Company

    Twyla Tharp with Sara Rudner and Margaret Jenkins

  • Venue

    Pavillon De La Jeunesse

  • Location

    Québec City, Canada

Production

  • Choreographer

    Twyla Tharp

  • Music

    Jimmy Yancey (How Long Blues, 1939)

  • Lighting Designer

    Jennifer Tipton

  • Costume Designer

    Robert Huot

Dancers

Margaret Jenkins, Sara Rudner, Twyla Tharp

  • Number of Dancers

    3

Description

Yancey Dance premiered eight months earlier as Twelve Foot Change (1966). The major change to the dance is the addition of music: How Long Blues (1939) by Jimmy Yancey. The choreography was not altered from the previous work, but simply performed against the music, juxtaposing the soulful tune with the stark, objectified movement.

Past Performances

Twyla Tharp and Dancers

One,Two,Three – Yancey Dance (premiere) – Jam – Cede Blue Lake | Twyla Tharp and Dancers

Montreal Expo '67 – Pavillon De La Jeunesse

Montreal, Canada

July 1 1967 Dance

Twyla Tharp and Dancers

Disperse – Yancey Dance – Jam – One,Two, Three – Three Page Sonata For Four (premiere) | Twyla Tharp and Dancers

SUNY Potsdam

Potsdam, NY

July 6 1967 Premiere

  • 1967