“Best Of” The Northrop Blog: Paul Taylor Dance Company Edition

Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to Northrop Sat, Mar 21 with The Celebration Tour, featuring the greatest works of the Taylor repertoire: Esplanade, Last Look, and Promethean Fire. As this masterful, powerful, and emotional program approaches, we take a look back on past blog posts surrounding the company’s Nov 2010 performance at Northrop that explore the highly influential dancemaker’s keen understanding of “the light and the dark” of our human experience. Below are links to these past blog posts with highlights from each.

Paul Taylor's Dances: Mirrors of Human Nature (2010)

“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.”

Paul Taylor. Two Simple Names, One Complex Existence (2010)

“If you do not know who Paul Taylor is, prepare to be impressed. This man, this choreographer, this dancer, has been one of the most influential people in the dance world for many years. And I now realize, the only way to tell you about him, is to show you.”

The Lasting Reign of Paul Taylor (2010)

“When Paul Taylor makes a dance, it opens up a million new avenues for discussion.  Plenty of choreographers are inspirational, but the magnetic eccentricity of Taylor's signature sensibility instills awe among his fans.”

“Esplanade (1975) is about searching for beauty in everyday motions. Taylor, said to have been inspired by the action of a girl trying to catch a bus, uses everyday movements (walking, running, falling) to explore relationships-both romantic and familial.”

Paul Taylor: Letting the Sun Shine In (2010)

“Taylor is known for an all-encompassing variety of work: pleasant and pretty, yet dark and bizarre. In response to the sometimes controversial nature of his work, Taylor says "one of my aims is to present questions rather than answers."”

Paul Taylor: The King of Everyday Movement (2010)

“Taylor continues to choreograph works for the Paul Taylor Dance Company that connect with audience members on the most basic human levels. Instinct, freedom, beauty-these are only a few of the themes that arise in his pieces…”

Insight Into Paul Taylor (2010)

“Known for instigating both contradiction and collaboration between music and movement, his dance works are imbued with his distinctive sensibility, which incorporates drama, comedy and themes about the human condition.”

“While holding up a mirror to our society, Taylor allows his audiences to reflect on the triumphs and faults we all have as humans, creating a timeless message relevant to any generation.”