Paul Taylor Dance Company
General information | |
---|---|
Year founded | 1954 |
Founding artistic director | Paul Taylor |
Location | 551 Grand Street, New York City |
Principal venue | David H. Koch Theater |
Website | ptamd |
Artistic staff | |
Artistic Director | Michael Novak |
Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954.
Taylor originally performed in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine, and founded his own in 1954. Dancers and choreographers who have emerged from his company include Twyla Tharp, David Parsons, Laura Dean, Dan Wagoner, Elizabeth Keen, Christopher Gillis, Senta Driver, Amy Marshall, and Lila York.
Michael Novak was appointed artistic director designate by Taylor in the summer of 2018, and took over as artistic director in September 2018 after Taylor died.[1]
History[]
The Paul Taylor Dance Company was founded in 1954. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries, with half of each performance season touring in American cities.[2] They first performed in Europe in 1960 and toured South America and China under several programs.
Twyla Tharp joined Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1963 and two years later formed her own company. Carolyn Adams joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1965. During Adams's seventeen year career with the company, she starred in several major productions including Orbs in 1966, Big Bertha in 1971; Aureole and Esplanade in 1975; and Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal) in 1980.[3] Christopher Gillis joined in 1976. He was a member until his death in 1993. Bettie de Jong joined the Taylor Company in 1962. Noted for her strong stage presence and long line, she was Paul Taylor's favorite dancing partner and, as current Rehearsal Director, was his right hand for the past half-century. She finished her active dancing career in 1985.
The Taylor School has taught Taylor's style to professional-level dancers since 1984.[4]
Mr. Taylor established Taylor 2 Dance Company in 1993 to ensure that his works could be seen by audiences all over the world regardless of economic considerations and the logistical limitations of non-traditional venues. The Company was disbanded in 2020.
In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In 2015, Taylor began a new program, called Paul Taylor American Modern Dance,[5] in which works of modern dance by choreographers other than Taylor are included in the company's annual season at the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Performances and repertory[]
Paul Taylor Dance Company's annual New York seasons have been presented at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater since 2012.[6] Prior to that, beginning in 1977, New York City Center hosted the company's seasons, which have typically lasted three weeks, comprising 20 or so dances.
Taylor created numerous formal dances, often to classical music, with complex patterning and intricate formations with tempos varying with the musical sections, from andante to allegro. Examples include Esplanade,[7] Brandenburgs, Mercuric Tidings,[8] Aureole, Arden Court, and Promethean Fire.
Taylor's dramatic works include Big Bertha,[9] From Sea to Shining Sea, American Genesis, The Word, Speaking in Tongues, Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal), Last Look, Black Tuesday, and To Make Crops Grow.
American Modern Dance Masterworks[]
Title | Choreographer | World Premiere | PTAMD Premiere | Company/Artist | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Doris Humphrey | August 5, 1938 | March 14, 2015[10] | Limón Dance Company | |
2 | Shen Wei | 2004 | March 17, 2015[11] | Shen Wei Dance Arts | |
3 | Donald McKayle | May 10, 1959 | March 22, 2016[12] | Dayton Contemporary Dance Company | |
4 | Diversion of Angels | Martha Graham | August 13, 1948 | March 23, 2016[12] | |
5 | Merce Cunningham | August 17, 1958 | March 21, 2017[13] | Guests from Lyon Opera Ballet | |
6 | Trisha Brown | October 20, 1983 | March 14, 2018[14] | Trisha Brown Dance Company | |
7 | Dances of Isadora (, , and ) |
Isadora Duncan | 1900–1924 | March 18, 2018[14] | Sara Mearns |
Taylor Company Commissions[]
Title | Choreographer | World Premiere | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Larry Keigwin | March 16, 2016[12] | |
2 | March 17, 2016[12] | ||
3 | Lila York | February 11, 2017[15] | |
4 | March 8, 2018[14] | ||
5 | Doug Varone | March 10, 2018[14] | |
6 | Pam Tanowitz | June 7, 2019 | |
7 | Margie Gillis | June 23, 2019 | |
8 | Kyle Abraham | October 30, 2019 | |
9 | Untitled premiere | ||
10 | Untitled premiere | Peter Chu | |
11 | Untitled premiere | Lauren Lovette |
Board[]
The company is a charitable, not-for-profit organization managed by a board of trustees and a board of advisors, with board chair C. F. Stone III, and vice-chairs Nancy H. Coles, Douglas Peterson, Stephen Kroll Reidy, treasurer Joseph A. Smith, and secretary Elise Jaffe.[18]
Awards[]
- Kennedy Center Honors (1992)
- MacArthur Fellowship (1985)
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography (1992)
- Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts (1961)
- Bessie Lifetime Achievement Award (2012)[19]
Video performances[]
- Diamond, Matthew; Taylor, Paul; Patton, Matthew; Kinberg, Judy; WNET (Station de télévision : New York, N.Y.) (1992). Speaking in tongues (VHS). Elektra Entertainment. OCLC 757655946.
- Taylor, Paul; Kinberg, Judy; Diamond, Matthew; Venza, Jac; Loquasto, Santo; Asnes, Andrew; Benz, Rachel Berman; See, Richard Chen; Cochran, Mary; Corbin, Patrick; Cortez, Hernando; Echo, Jill; Egtvedt, Kristi; Grenke, David; Heilman, Caryn; Huber, Francie; LeBeau, Andrew; Nevjinsky, Silvia; Patrick, Thomas; Viola, Lisa; Nilsson, Harry; WNET (Television station : New York, N.Y.) (1996). The Wrecker's Ball: Three Dances by Paul Taylor (VHS). Thirteen/WNET. OCLC 430372378.
- Taylor, Paul; Bach, Johann Sebastian; Busby, Gerald; WNET (Television station : New York, N.Y.) (1998). The Paul Taylor Dance Company (VHS). Nonesuch : Distributed by WarnerVision Entertainment. OCLC 1078010330.
- Diamond, Matthew; Scheuer, Walter; Kupfer, Jerry; Taylor, Paul; Thomas, Ted; Echo, Jill; Egtvedt, Kristi; See, Richard Chen; Benz, Rachel Berman; Corbin, Patrick; Heilman, Caryn; Patrick, Thomas; Asnes, Andrew; Huber, Francie; Hurwitz, Tom (1999). Dancemaker (VHS). Docurama : Distributed in the U.S. by New Video Group. OCLC 43118504.
References[]
- ^ "Taylor, Paul B., (born 29 July 1930), choreographer; Artistic Director, Paul Taylor Dance Company, since 1954; President, Paul Taylor Dance Foundation (Board Chairman, 1966); Founder, Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance, 2014", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.4000224
- ^ Kaufman, Sarah L.; Kaufman, Sarah L. (2016-05-26). "Paul Taylor's vintage works and classic joys". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- ^ "Carolyn Adams's Biography". The HistoryMakers.
- ^ "Paul Taylor Dance Company | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side". www.thelodownny.com. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- ^ Kourlas, Gia (2015-03-06). "Paul Taylor, at 84, Has a New Mission With American Modern Dance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ Seibert, Brian (2018-03-11). "Review: Paul Taylor Classics Outshine New Dances (His and Others’)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (1975-06-11). "The Dance: Paul Taylor's 'Esplanade'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ Macaulay, Alastair (2012-03-22). "Paul Taylor Dance Company at David H. Koch Theater". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "Paul Taylor��€™s Canon: Flippant, Savage, Idyllic". The New York Times. 2018-09-04. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/arts/dance/review-paul-taylor-troupes-dizzying-new-palette-takes-shape.html
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/arts/dance/review-paul-taylors-american-modern-dance-at-david-h-koch-theater.html
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d https://www.ptamdinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/021216-PTAMD-2016-Season-Press-Release.pdf
- ^ https://www.ptamdinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/101116-2017-PTAMD-Season-FINAL.pdf
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d https://www.ptamdinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/021418-PTAMD-2018-Season-Announcement-FINAL.pdf
- ^ https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2017/02/12/fast-moving-premiere-adds-another-epic-dance-to-paul-taylor-repertoire-sharing-bill-with-classic-parody-of-human-behavior/
- ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.joyce.org/performances/paul-taylor-dance-company
- ^ https://www.ptamdinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-PTAMD-Season-Cancellation.pdf
- ^ "Board".
- ^ Wakin, Daniel J. "Paul Taylor to Receive Bessie Lifetime Achievement Award". ArtsBeat. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
External links[]
- Official website
- Article at UCSB.edu
- Paul Taylor: Dancemaker at IMDb 1998
- "Paul Taylor Dance Company collected news and commentary". The New York Times.
- Constructing The Wrecker's Ball Dance Magazine, October, 1996
- Archival footage of Paul Taylor Dance Company performing Airs in 1982 at Jacob's Pillow
- Archival footage of Taylor's "Company B" performed at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in 2000
Coordinates: 40°42′50.12″N 73°58′49.84″W / 40.7139222°N 73.9805111°W
- Contemporary dance companies
- Dance companies in New York City
- National Dance Award winners
- 1954 establishments in New York (state)