Paul Taylor’s Dances: Mirrors of Human Nature

You might wonder where
Paul Taylor, the world's greatest living choreographer, gets his inspiration
for his iconic dances. Instead of fancy, typical dance moves, he simply takes
movements as mundane as everyday walking, running and jumping and turns them into
high art. However, ordinary human gestures can reveal the true side of our humanity
that we have unconsciously or intentionally neglected. Taylor garners his inspiration
from the hidden complexity of everyday movement and what it says about our
humanity, and in his dances comments on the characteristics of humanity that we
either enjoy or loathe.

The choreography of Cloven Kingdom (1976), for example, mirrors humanity's primitive nature. Dressed
in tuxedoes (the men) and pastel gowns (the women), the dancers at first waltz
with elegance and formality, but their movements change abruptly as the baroque
music shifts into discordant percussive sounds. Animal gestures replace the gentle
stylized dancing-men hop around like chimpanzees, and sometimes twitch on their
backs like dying insects. In the documentary Dancemaker (1998), Taylor talked about picturing the kingdom of
mankind as having two different parts: civilized and primitive. Based on
philosopher Spinoza's quote "Man is a social animal," Cloven Kingdom prompts
us to reflect on our human nature. Is our well-polished surface simply a mask
for our wildness deep down?

Taylor's
most contemporary work, Brief Encounters (2009), reflects an intriguing
characteristic of our society, by showing us people who would rather engage in
momentary connections than in long-lasting relationships. A female dancer lays
a hand briefly on a man's hip, but the motion is soon withdrawn, suggesting a
transient sexual experience. When we're attracted to one other, do we sometimes
just get in and get out of the relationship as quickly as we can because we're afraid
of getting hurt? Or don't want to be tied down? Or want to avoid becoming
emotionally attached? In this piece, Taylor highlights and makes us think about
such questions.

In
creating Esplanade (1975), Taylor was inspired by a real-life scene of a girl
catching a bus. Similar to contemporary visual artists Jasper Johns and Robert
Rauschenberg, who both use "found objects" in their art, Taylor uses "found
movements" in his choreography for Esplanade. In this work, Taylor prompts us
to notice how we often take such pedestrian, everyday movements as standing,
running and jumping for granted, by showing us their beauty. As the dancers
continuously dart across the stage in an exuberant, uninterrupted flow of
movement, Taylor communicates and celebrates the joy of being alive.

In Dancemaker, Taylor referred to himself as a reporter. "I report
things as I see them," he said. Honesty is the key to his choreography-being
honest with what he sees in the world and truthfully illustrating his
observations in his dances. Although Taylor has been creating dances since 1954,
the works of this 80-year-old giant of modern dance are never irrelevant or outdated,
because his honest observations and truthful portraits of human nature are
timeless.

-Mercy Lo is a
senior professional-journalism major in the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication at the University of Minnesota.