Choreographer Paul Taylor, one of the architects of
contemporary American dance, turned 80 this year; yet even with
celebrations of his work (at the American Dance Festival and New York
City Center), he isn’t that interested in resting on his laurels. Aside
from chain smoking and creating two new works a year, he is anything
but set in his ways. He remains artistically adventurous, curious and
experimental.
Taylor’s company is opening the Dance
Celebration series at the Annenberg Center, where his troupe will
perform his most recent work Phantasmagoria, along with company classics
Arden Court and Cloven Kingdom. Taylor, who was born in Pennsylvania,
has a loyal fan base in Philly and they have grown to expect new
material from a master.
Even within classic Taylor’s vernacular
- lateral piques, prancy jetes, twirly skips, physical humor and
cascading bodies - everything evolves differently. Content-wise nothing
is off limits - from sexuality, to slapstick, to war. The only thing he
seems to avoid is autobiographical dance. "That isn’t my thing," he has
said.
He continues to push the envelope. For instance his recent
dark piece Banquet of Vultures was meant as a commentary on the War in
Iraq. It was called by San Francisco Chronicle as reaching "a new level
of intensity. More broadly, not since Last Look (1985) has Taylor been
so uncompromisingly bleak. Never has he been more eloquent... It’s an
anti-war piece in the grand tradition of Kurt Jooss’ 1932 classic The
Green Table."
"I do think that was one of my best titles," he said. The ballet is politically raw "and unpleasant," he added with a laugh.
Highlighting
the Philly program is one of Taylor’s latest works. Phantasmagoria,
inspired by Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel’s Wedding Dance in the
Open Air that depicts a rustic bacchanalia. Annmaria Mazzini, a longtime
Taylor dancer, described working on the piece to PBS radio, "You never
know with Paul where it’s going to go from one day to the next: You
leave off one day and you think you might know... then he will take a
turn to a completely different place." At this point fellow company
member Robert Kleinendorst, chimed in, "You just go with it. It’s non
sequitur and dreamlike."
Taylor, who spoke by phone from New
York this week from his studios in New York, dismissed talking about the
two new biographies being written about him and concentrated more on
discussing the company’s current tour and working with his dancers.
For
the Philly program Taylor is presenting something for everyone. "We try
to make a varied program so there is not a lot of repetition." Never an
elitist, Taylor just wants to fill seats.
It is also very
important for him to challenge the dancers and keep them artistically
connected. " I try to give them things that they haven’t done before.
Cast them in a way that will be a challenge and increase their
abilities."
Today many of Taylor’s modernist works are
performed by classical ballet companies throughout the world. Asked
about this, he commented: "It’s very heartening that ballet companies
are trying other things. The two forms (classical and modern dance) have
not merged, but approach each other... and they (the companies) are
broadening their scope."
Aside from unlikely subject matter on
the dance stage, Taylor dancers are known for their athleticism and
technique. "Dancers now are stronger, you can ask them to do riskier
things, they are so game to try anything and it’s been a big help. I try
come up with stuff we haven’t tried. It doesn’t change the content, but
the steps themselves."
Taylor wishes he could choreograph more
than two works a year. And when asked if he is ever blank on ideas for
dance, he answered with what sounded like a smoky exhale: "Not so far."
