An esplanade is an outdoor place to walk; in 1975 Paul Taylor, inspired by the sight of a girl running to catch a bus, created a masterwork based on pedestrian movement. Continue reading
No comments
Tag: Paul Taylor
11/15/25 O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Paul Taylor Dancemaker (1998)
11/14/25 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Promethean Fire- Paul Taylor Dance Company
Promethean Fire (2002) is danced to the music of three of Leopold Stokowski’s famous Bach transcriptions (Opus 116). The ensemble work is one of Paul Taylor’s six ballets set to the music of the baroque master. This excerpt is the first movement choreographed to the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Continue reading
11/11/25 O&A NYC DANCE BY WALTER RUTLEDGE: Paul Taylor Dance Company Gala Recap
Taylor Time is in full swing. The Paul Taylor Dance Company held their Gala performance tonight at New York State Theater in Lincoln Center. The evening presented two world premieres by Resident Choreographers Lauren Lovette and Robert Battle and the Taylor classic Sunset. This is a quick recap of the evening. A review(s) will follow, but we wanted to keep you in the know. Continue reading
11/11/24 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Paul Taylor Dance Company Gala
By Walter Rutledge
It’s Taylor Time! The Paul Taylor Dance Company began their New York City fall season on Tuesday, November 5th at the State Theater at Lincoln Center. The three-week, twenty-one performance season will offer eighteen works by seven dance makers including four world premieres by Robert Battle, Lauren Lovette and Jody Sperling. During the Wednesday November 6th Gala performance, the public was treated to two premieres by Battle and Lovette. Continue reading
10/5/24 O&A NYC IT’S SATURDAY: A Conversation With Debbie Blunden- Diggs, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
By Walter Rutledge
The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) is one of the heartland’s preeminent dance companies. The company is fifty-six years young and has remained rooted in sharing the experiences of Americans of African decent through movement. This 2016 conversation with DCDC Artistic Director Debbie Blunden- Diggs took place during the company’s performances of Rainbow Round My Shoulder as guest artists with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at State Theater in Lincoln Center.
The company received a Bessie Award (The New York Dance and Performance Awards) that same year for Outstanding Revival for Rainbow. Blunden and I discuss the importance of keeping masterworks like Rainbow alive and on stage for the next generation of balletomanes. Her comments and commitment still ring true as DCDC become the first African American modern dance company to perform one of Taylor’s signature masterwork Esplanade during the company’s 2024 Joyce Theater season October 2- 6. Continue reading
6/29/24 O&A NYC SATURDAY ANYTHING GOES: Promethean Fire – Paul Taylor Dance Company (Bach-Stokowski)
A programme note for “Promethean Fire” states that the ballet “examines a kaleidoscope of emotional colors in the human condition” and Leopold Stokowski’s three Bach arrangements suit the balletic action perfectly! Continue reading
11/6/23 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Vespers- Paul Taylor Dance Company
By Walter Rutledge
The Paul Taylor Dance Company began its sixty-ninth season on Tuesday October 31 at the New York State Theater. The two-week fifteen performance season will offer a total of fourteen works by five choreographers. The season will present a world premieres by Larry Keigwin and Lauren Lovette, the return of a work by Amy Hall Garner, company premiere by and Ulysses Dove and nine Taylor classics.
6/11/23 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Ailey At BAM
By Walter Rutledge
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presented a Brooklyn dance series June 6th thru 11th at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The six-day seven performance series offered two well curated programs of new works and Ailey classics. The Saturday evening performance consisted of four works by four modern dance luminaries, Kyle Abraham, Robert Battle, Ron Brown and Paul Taylor. Continue reading
3/31/22 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Airs- Paul Taylor Dance Company
By Walter Rutledge
I had planned to do a season review of the Paul Taylor Dance Company following the final performance tonight. Then last night I saw Airs! First, the company’s dancing during the entire season has been impressive to say the least. The eighteen-member ensemble is comprised of fourteen relatively new members. Due to the pandemic for many of the dancers this season is their New York City Center debut. Continue reading
