--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do I watch dancers as people? Yes…" description: "\"Do I watch dancers as people? Yes, absolutely. Do I watch really good dancers for specifically who they are? Absolutely, because how they move best and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg" --- # Do I watch dancers as people? Yes, absolutely. Do I watch… ![“Do I watch dancers as people? Yes, absolutely. Do I watch really good dancers for specifically who they are? Absolutely, because how they move best and how they look best is going to be most familiar to them, and not necessarily to me.” quote by Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg) > “Do I watch dancers as people? Yes, absolutely. Do I watch really good dancers for specifically who they are? Absolutely, because how they move best and how they look best is going to be most familiar to them, and not necessarily to me.” [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We watch dancers for their movement, not their identity; appreciation focuses on the art, not the person. **In simple terms:** Appreciate art, not the artist’s persona. Key Takeaway Separate art from artist. Themes dance observation identity art appreciation Mood analytical curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - performances - gallery visits - media consumption - personal bias Key Concepts aesthetic focus objectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing an artist affect your view? - Can you enjoy art without personal context? A Different Perspective Art can be biased by personal judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancers/) [Dancers People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancers-people-2042078/) [Dancers Specifically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancers-specifically-2042076/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Dancers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-dancers-705535/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Move](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move/) [Necessarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessarily/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Specifically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/specifically/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch/) [Watch Dancers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch-dancers-2042077/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Yes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes/) ## Related quotes > [When I first moved to New York, I was friends with a lot of dancers - people from Merce Cunningham's company and things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ranaldo/when-i-first-moved-to-new-york-i-was-friends-with-a-lot-of-dancers/) [Lee Ranaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ranaldo/) > [I guess it's hard work... whatever the decision is, how to show it to people that aren't necessarily dancers, how to get people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-abraham/i-guess-it-s-hard-work-whatever-the-decision-is-how-to-show-it-to/) [Kyle Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-abraham/) > [Felicity and I watch the dancers moving as one. They spin about like the earth on it's axis, enduring the dark, waiting for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/felicity-and-i-watch-the-dancers-moving-as-one-they-spin-about-like/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [I used to watch all the dancers from the dance theater of Harlem when i was younger and i wanted to be exactly like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-used-to-watch-all-the-dancers-from-the-dance-theater-of-harlem-when/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [They improve greatly, and sometimes I go and see the performances they do and I am consciously aware that there isn't enough work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-davies/they-improve-greatly-and-sometimes-i-go-and-see-the-performances-they/) [Siobhan Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-davies/) > [Some people seem to think that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I have known are taught or trained..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/some-people-seem-to-think-that-good-dancers-are-born-but-all-the-good/) [Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/) > [All of my friends are really good dancers, which was initially why I never danced - we'd go out, and they would kill it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chet-faker/all-of-my-friends-are-really-good-dancers-which-was-initially-why-i-2/) [Chet Faker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chet-faker/) > [“Good dancers awaken the joy in our hearts, we have seen them ablaze on stage, videos, on our streets, in the theaters, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bamikole/good-dancers-awaken-the-joy-in-our-hearts-we-have-seen-them-ablaze-on/) [Paul Bamikole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bamikole/) > [There are a lot of artists that I love, and I think they're really talented, and they're good dancers as well. I've always wished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnetha-faltskog/there-are-a-lot-of-artists-that-i-love-and-i-think-they-re-really/) [Agnetha Faltskog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnetha-faltskog/) > [One of the eternal mysteries of ballet is how untalented choreographers find backers for their work, and then find good dancers to perform in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/one-of-the-eternal-mysteries-of-ballet-is-how-untalented/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [The general impression about fat people is that they are romantic, funny and good dancers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/the-general-impression-about-fat-people-is-that-they-are-romantic/) [Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/) > [... in general, the Anglo-Irish do not make good dancers; they are too spritely and conscious; they are incapable of one kind of trance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/in-general-the-anglo-irish-do-not-make-good-dancers-they-are-too/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Actors are born, good actors are trained. Dancers are born, good dancers are trained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithun-chakraborty/actors-are-born-good-actors-are-trained-dancers-are-born-good-dancers/) [Mithun Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithun-chakraborty/) > [Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan were good dancers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hema-malini/shashi-kapoor-and-amitabh-bachchan-were-good-dancers/) [Hema Malini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hema-malini/) > [Lift up your hearts, my brothers, high, higher! And don't forget about your legs either! Lift up your legs as well, you good dancers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/lift-up-your-hearts-my-brothers-high-higher-and-don-t-forget-about/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Twyla Tharp > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't mean this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't really think of pop art and serious art as being that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-mean-this-but-i-m-going-to-say-it-anyway-i-don-t-really-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/the-art-of-these-fifties-movies-was-in-sustaining-forever-the-moment/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [This is not a pleasant route for many young people to consider. You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/this-is-not-a-pleasant-route-for-many-young-people-to-consider-you/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I often say that in making dances I can make a world where I think things are done morally, done democratically, done honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-often-say-that-in-making-dances-i-can-make-a-world-where-i-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I had received my first establishment grants in response to applications filed the year before. To the pages of baffling forms I had simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-had-received-my-first-establishment-grants-in-response-to/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't think that scheduling is uncreative. I think that structure is required for creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-think-that-scheduling-is-uncreative-i-think-that-structure-is/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have always felt one of the things dance should do - its business being so clearly physical - is challenge the culture's gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-always-felt-one-of-the-things-dance-should-do-its-business/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [There really is nothing I ever had access to that I didn't appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/there-really-is-nothing-i-ever-had-access-to-that-i-didn-t-appreciate/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Destiny, quite often, is a determined parent. Mozart was hardly some naive prodigy who sat down at the keyboard and, with God whispering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/destiny-quite-often-is-a-determined-parent-mozart-was-hardly-some/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [When it all comes together, a creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/when-it-all-comes-together-a-creative-life-has-the-nourishing-power/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Things change all the time, so why do people make such a philosophical to-do that things are constantly in transition?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/things-change-all-the-time-so-why-do-people-make-such-a-philosophical/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) [Explore all 298 Twyla Tharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## More Absolutely quotes > [I am absolutely my own biggest critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lando-norris/i-am-absolutely-my-own-biggest-critic/) [Lando Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lando-norris/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [I was brought up by the English side of my family, who are very repressed and working class. Absolutely lovely, but very English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-brought-up-by-the-english-side-of-my-family-who-are-very/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [Nobody ever wins by the cavalry coming to rescue you. It isn't a question of you're happy if you get married, or you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/nobody-ever-wins-by-the-cavalry-coming-to-rescue-you-it-isn-t-a/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [“None is absolutely true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-z-lavine/none-is-absolutely-true/) [T.Z. Lavine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-z-lavine/) > [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [If I was a man, I would be a drag queen. Honestly, I would. I absolutely love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/if-i-was-a-man-i-would-be-a-drag-queen-honestly-i-would-i-absolutely/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [There's very little about being in a functional-M.R.I. scanner that is natural: you are flat on your back, absolutely still, with your head immobilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/there-s-very-little-about-being-in-a-functional-m-r-i-scanner-that-is/) [Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/) > [When you're still, and some actors are really brilliant at that, you bring a kind of energy to you as opposed to sending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/when-you-re-still-and-some-actors-are-really-brilliant-at-that-you/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > [I'm absolutely an Elizabeth Taylor fan!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-m-absolutely-an-elizabeth-taylor-fan/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [You can absolutely be what you can't see! That's what innovators and disruptors do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-bryant/you-can-absolutely-be-what-you-can-t-see-that-s-what-innovators-and/) [Kimberly Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-bryant/) > [There were a lot of clubs interested in me - a lot, really. But Manchester United appeared and didn't go away. They absolutely wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-di-maria/there-were-a-lot-of-clubs-interested-in-me-a-lot-really-but/) [Angel Di Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-di-maria/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I absolutely love 'TOWIE.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/i-absolutely-love-towie/) [Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/) > [Chucky is absolutely still a puppet. He will remain to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-dourif/chucky-is-absolutely-still-a-puppet-he-will-remain-to-be/) [Fiona Dourif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-dourif/) [Browse all 1,136 Absolutely quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do I watch dancers as people? Yes, absolutely. Do I watch really good dancers for specifically who they are? Absolutely, because how they move best and how they look best is going to be most familiar to them, and not necessarily to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Twyla Tharp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolutely-do-i-watch-really-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absolutely" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolutely-do-i-watch-really-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/984/twyla-tharp-1069_absolutely_do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolut_2612778.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do I watch dancers as people? Yes, absolutely. Do I watch really good dancers for specifically who they are?…” — Twyla Tharp", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Twyla Tharp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Do I watch dancers as people?...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolutely-do-i-watch-really-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/do-i-watch-dancers-as-people-yes-absolutely-do-i-watch-really-good/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```