The Geniuses of America...
The world of dance, ballet and free forms gave to the world unsurpassed geniuses like Serge Lifar, George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Joffrey, Janusz Jozefowicz, Rambert, Bella Lewitzky, Carolyn Dorfman, Esmeralda Enrique, Kenneth McMillian, Marcia Haydee, Rosela Hightower, Bronislava Nijinska, Richard Alston, Christopher Hampson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Isadora Duncan, the River Dance Company, etc...Through their magic and poetry in motion, we explore and discover a new world, a multi-dimensional cosmos. Here is a tribute to some of them.
PAUL TAYLOR
Paul Taylor been called a genius; a legend; a cultural icon. Time calls him "the reigning master of modern dance," and the New York Daily News declares him to be "the best choreographer in the world." But Paul Taylor considers himself, above all, a reporter whose job is to observe us and record his impressions. Twice a year, he dutifully leaves behind his shore-front cottage, his scarabs and butterflies, his wildflowers and the furniture he's made solely from driftwood, to enter a dance studio and "report." Whether investing everyday movement with breathtaking beauty or reminding us that we are not as removed from our prehistoric ancestors as we like to think, he rivets us with astonishing inventiveness, poignancy and wit. As prolific as ever after 49 years, he recently completed his 119th work . Paul Taylor grew up near Washington, DC.
He
was a swimmer and a student of art at Syracuse University in the late 1940s
until he discovered dance, which he then studied at Juilliard. By 1954 he had
assembled a small company of dancers and presented his own choreography. A
commanding performer, he joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1955 for
the first of seven seasons as a soloist while continuing to make dances on his
own troupe. In 1959 he danced with New York City Ballet as guest artist in
George Balanchine's Episodes. Having created the masterful 3 Epitaphs in 1956,
he captivated dancegoers in 1962 with his virile grace in the landmark
Aureole. After retiring as a performer in 1975, Mr. Taylor devoted himself
fully to choreography, and classics poured forth: Esplanade... Cloven
Kingdom... Airs... Arden Court... Lost, Found and Lost... Last Look...
Roses... Musical Offering... Company B... Piazzolla Caldera...Promethean
Fire... and dozens more. Celebrated for uncommon musicality, he has set dances
to Ragtime and reggae, tango and Tin Pan Alley, time recordings and loon
calls; turned elevator music and novelty tunes into high art; and found
particularly cooperative collaborators in J.S. Bach and his Baroque brethren.