Is there a project you have been meaning to get to? Are you procrastinating it?
In the box Tharp places bits of inspiration and information that help crystallize her idea. She collects things like sheet music, cd’s of songs, videos, cloth for costumes, pictures of dancers, articles, newspaper clippings. Anything remotely relevant goes into the box. It all gets worked out later. The contents are sorted at the right time – but not too early to stifle the flow of ideas.
With the box Tharp feels organized. The box offers structure. It marks the project as real though she may not know where it is going.
The box represents a specific idea for what can and will be. Whether dance production or an idea for a new choreography, the vision is built as the box fills. Its contents, symbols of steps taken and decisions made, evolve the image to completion. When the project is finished, the box is archived. And yet, Tharp remembers that without the box – the project may never have existed.