Timeless Art: Paul Taylor Dance Company

This weekend at Northrop is a big one. The first dance season performance back in the revitalized Northrop will take place, but, more importantly, that performance will consist of repertory works by the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company.

At 82 years old, Taylor continues to successfully drive his calling to dance, creating 140 works since 1954. Interestingly enough, Taylor’s highly regarded journey in the world of dance began when he read about dance in the books at Syracuse’s library, where he was on scholarship for swimming. He then transferred to Juilliard to begin training professionally. In 1955, Taylor joined Martha Graham Dance Company and performed with the company for seven seasons as a soloist. Taylor was then invited to be a guest artist to Balanchine in the New York City Ballet.

The performance will open with Aureole (1962), often attributed to the beginning of Taylor’s success because of the contrast of the modern movement set to music composed 200 years earlier. Following Aureole, a more recent work, Beloved Renegade (2008), will be performed, stemming from Taylor’s inspiration from poetry by Walt Whitman. The last piece, Piazzolla Caldera, will capture the essence of tango culture, featuring energetic movement and live music accompaniment by Latin Grammy Award Winner Pablo Ziegler Quintet. Tonight, catch the Pablo Ziegler Quintet at the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant.

If you’re interested in learning more about Paul Taylor and his company, be sure to attend the Performance Preview, in the Best Buy Theater, led by Carl Flink, who previously did project-based work with the company.