Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor was born on July 29, 1930, in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Not long after his birth, the family relocated from Pennsylvania to Washington D.C., where Taylor’s parents divorced. His mother supported her four children, of whom Taylor was the youngest, by managing restaurants. Although Taylor idolized his mother, she was often occupied by work and unable to care for him. As a result, Taylor moved frequently during his teenage years, initially living on a farm with a foster family before moving in with his sister’s family and then attending boarding school. From the beginning, Taylor’s transitory home life and childhood isolation led him to develop a rich inner world, one that was occupied by imaginary playmates and influenced by the natural environment. He went on to attend Syracuse University on a swimming and arts scholarship and in 1951 took up dancing, which became his all-consuming passion. Because of his new found love of dance, Taylor decided to move to New York and train at Juilliard. Martha Graham caught sight of the inexperienced dancer and invited him to join her company when he arrived in New York. Taylor compensated for his late introduction to dance by filling his days with courses at Juilliard and his evenings with classes at Graham’s school. He choreographed works of his own, starting his own dance company in the mid-1950s.

The May 30, 1954 presentation of “Jack and the Beanstalk” is credited as the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s first work. Taylor trained under modern dance greats like Martha Graham and José Limón and joined the Graham Dance Company as a soloist in 1955, remaining with the group for several seasons. He also worked with choreographers Merce Cunningham and George Balanchine, who created the solo work “Episodes” specifically for Taylor as a 1959 New York City Ballet guest artist. Over the decades, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has created a repertory that’s solidified its status as one of the premier modern dance organizations in the world. Taylor ruffled critics with earlier, convention-defying works like “Seven New Dances: Duet” (1957), which famously utilizes a lack of movement. Taylor’s style often relies upon blending everyday, natural gestures with more traditional technique. He has a vivid knack for irreverence and humor as well, as seen with the playful pastoral, “Arden Court” (1981). Among Taylor’s prominent pieces are “Three Epitaphs” (1956), “Aureole” (1962), “Esplanade” (1975), “Airs” (1978) and “Speaking in Tongues” (1988); his dances cover a wide range of topics, such as love, sexual orientation, feminism, war and religion.

As of spring 2013, he has created more than 130 works, many of which have been set on dozens of other companies like the Royal Danish Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Taylor also started Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company in 1993, a small group that both performs and handles dance education. He’s won many honors and awards, including a 1992 Emmy Award. Taylor explores the tensions and harmonies that develop when movement conflicts with music, often instructing the dancers to move faster or slower than the musical tempo or to propel their bodies through silence. His unconventional choices for musical accompaniment range from Renaissance dances, classical symphonies, and scores by John Cage to ragtime, tango, and barbershop quartets. As diverse as his music choices are his collaborations with visual artists and designers. Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Gene Moore, and Alex Katz have designed costumes and sets for Taylor’s work. Jennifer Tipton is the principle lighting designer for the company. Following him into adulthood, George H. Tacet, Ph.D, Taylor’s childhood imaginary friend and pseudonym, is credited for costume and set designs for which Taylor wishes to conceal his responsibility.

Interview with Paul Taylor:

http://servicesaetn-a.akamaihd.net/pservice/embed-player/?siteId=bio&tPid=27754563508

Sources: PBS, Dance Heritage, ABT