Sometimes it’s now. Sometimes it’s then. The choreographer Twyla Tharp has had a long and illustrious career in which she’s shuttled between witty, edgy portraits of the current moment (Push Comes to Shove) and vibrant, poignant evocations of the past (Deuce Coupe), not to mention cerebral explorations now and then (The Fugue), as well as trips to Broadway (Movin’ Out). She’s worked in her own small companies and big ballet companies and pick-up companies in between. Energized and inventive, Tharp just doesn’t stop “making.” For her November engagement at New York’s City Center, she’s pulled together a stellar group of dancers from Alvin Ailey, A.B.T., and N.Y.C.B., among them Robbie Fairchild, who starred in An American in Paris on Broadway. The program includes two world premieres and features live music by the Knights. Sounds like a party! —L.J.