Did You Know? Featured Facts About Paul Taylor Dance Company

Dancemaker Paul Taylor first presented his choreography with five other dancers in Manhattan on May 30, 1954. That modest performance shaped the future of American modern dance.

As the author of the autobiography Private Domain and Wall Street Journal essay Why I Make Dances and the subject of documentaries Dancemaker and Creative Domain, Mr. Taylor shed light on the mysteries of the creative process as few artists have.

Mr. Taylor received nearly every important honor given to artists in the United States including an Emmy Award, the National Medal of Arts, and three Guggenheim Fellowships. He is also the recipient of France’s highest honor, the Légion d’Honneur.

Paul Taylor Dance Company was the first modern dance company to call Lincoln Center home after decades of performing at the New York City Center. Mr. Taylor viewed himself as a New York artist, and performing in his hometown has remained a tradition and priority. 

Since their first European tour in 1960, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has performed in more than 520 cities in 64 countries, representing the United States at arts festivals in more than 40 countries and touring extensively under the aegis of the U.S. Department of State. 

Current Artistic Director, Michael Novak, debuted with Paul Taylor Dance Company in the 2010-11 season which earned him a nomination for the Clive Barnes Foundation Dance Award. During his nine-year career he danced 57 roles in 50 Taylor dances—thirteen of which were made on him—and he created roles for five of the Taylor Company Commission choreographers.