Paul Taylor Dance Company

The Paul Taylor Dance Company performing Taylor's Esplanade.

Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographer of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries"[1] and still spends more than half of each performance season touring in American cities.

Paul Taylor originally performed in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine, but founded his own, Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1954. Dancers/Choreographers who emerged from his company include Twyla Tharp, David Parsons, Laura Dean, Dan Wagoner, Elizabeth Keen, Christopher Gillis, Senta Driver, Amy Marshall, and Lila York.

Twyla Tharp joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1963 and two years later formed her own company. Christopher Gillis joined in 1976. He was a member until his death in 1993. Bettie de Jong joined the Taylor Company in 1962. Noted for her strong stage presence and long line, she was Paul Taylor's favorite dancing partner and, as Rehearsal Director, has been his right arm for the past 51 years. She finished her active dancing career in 1985.

The Company has appeared in PBS programs nine times. In 1999, the PBS American Masters series aired Matthew Diamond's Oscar-nominated documentary about Paul Taylor and his company, Dancemaker.

In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[2][3]

Dancers

The dancers as of July 2013 (with year of debut in the company):[4]

  • Michael Trusnovec (1998)
  • Robert Kleinendorst (2000)
  • James Samson (2001)
  • Michelle Fleet (2002)

  • Parisa Khobdeh (2003)
  • Sean Patrick Mahoney (2004)
  • Eran Bugge (2005)
  • Francisco Graciano (2006)

  • Laura Halzack (2006)
  • Jamie Rae Walker (2008)
  • Michael Apuzzo (2009)
  • Aileen Roehl (2010)

  • Michael Novak (2010)
  • Heather McGinley (2011)
  • George Smallwood (2011)
  • Christina Lynch Markham (2013)

Reviews

References

Notes

  1. http://www.performances.org/performances/performances.asp?performanceID=571
  2. Roberts, Sam (July 6, 2005). "City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million". The New York Times.
  3. Carnegie Corporation - News
  4. "Dancers". Paul Taylor Dance Company. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  5. Kennedy Center: Information about Paul Taylor Dance Company
  6. American Masters . Paul Taylor | PBS
  7. Penn Presents: Paul Taylor Dance Company

External links


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