Insight into Paul Taylor

Juxtaposing modern dance with minimal and
avant-garde movements, Paul Taylor's choreography certainly cannot be described
in one word, or even a few. 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 exploring the complexities of modern dance and Paul Taylor's
choreography, I became intrigued with the intricacies of this type of movement.
Having danced for 13 years, I've been exposed to jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical,
kick and hip-hop. I hadn't, however, experienced modern dance. To explore this
uncharted territory, I took a modern dance class and discovered the technique
embodied by Taylor.

At first, it's hard not to revert back to
the ballet basics when beginning modern. With its poise and structure, ballet overflows
with rigorous technique and continual attempts to appear weightless, as if defying
gravity. Modern dance, however, explores the way the body moves through space
in free and expressive ways. Your body is up, down, grounded and lifted all at
the same time. It feels awkward at first, a deviation from such meticulous dance
forms as ballet. Once you succumb to the movements, however, modern is a
liberating experience. 

Modern can best be described as moving
through a force, an energy that combines music and space. The body is free to
push and pull through this space, uninhibited by technical restraints that
other dance forms may impose on the body. After the dance class, I watched some
clips of Taylor's choreography and then tried out his movements. Many of
Taylor's moves don't feel cute or pretty; then again, they aren't necessarily
supposed to. Instead, the moves create a sensation of openness as you let all
barriers down: a deliverance from rules and structure. The movements feel
earthy and naturalistic as your bare feet sprawl out against the bare floor,
unrestrained by pointe toes or dance shoes. Modern dance is a very natural
expression of the body's kinesiology.

Taylor's choreography embodies this
force, creating a phenomenon which Francisco Graciano, a dancer in the Paul Taylor
Dance Company, described during a Skype interview as an "activity where nothing
else exists, a peak experience where eternity is understood for one moment." Taylor
plays with naturalist expressions as well, presenting humans as animalistic
creators. 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. Though Taylor tackles social
issues, he isn't trying to prove anything or emulate other styles, but instead
has an honest approach. Taylor continuously creates ageless and innovative work,
which is why he is still worthy of our attention after all these years.

Caitlin Jagodzinski is a senior in the
School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. She
wrote this piece as part of the class "Covering the Arts: New Media, New
Paradigms from Criticism to Communications."