PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY

The naughty boy of dance, Paul Taylor, is an American postmodern icon with a decorated career spanning decades. Taylor passed away in 2018, but the Paul Taylor Company continues his legacy and is currently traveling the world reviving his works. Historically, Paul Taylor was known for his athleticism, dry wit and contemporary socio-political commentary on the United States’ cultural landscape. To Revive these pieces approximately sixty years later raises the question: do they still feel relevant today?

The curtain rises, and a striking, enormous metal square confronts us—the dancers in black and white swimsuits bear a close resemblance to the original Barbie design. Polaris took me back in time, performing gender stereotypes by coupling men and women together for traditional ballet-esque partner dance. The piece oscillates between auspicious and ominous.

With a smile on their faces, the dancers’ movements are tall and bright, involving leaps with an added flamboyantness or little bunny-like hops traveling up and down the stage. Then, they transform into low-to-the-ground pelvic movements, with their arms and legs often at a ninety-degree angle. The blue background transitions to black, and the music follows suit.

Like Polaris, Tablet also explores relationality, but this time invoking a sense of childlike play. An “awe” fell over the
audience in the final tableau as the two clownish characters formed a heart with their bodies.

Cloven Kingdom broke away from the previous pieces musically, the classical sound paired with a modern fast drum beat. The men wore nice black suits while the women wore dresses. With only the male dancers on stage, they sat on the floor with their legs spread and arched. Their bodies thrust and bounce on the floor. Then, creating a staircase made of men, they stack themselves onto each other. The dichotomy of their fancy attire paired with such ungentlemanly gestures shines a light on male sexuality.

While it is well-produced, and the dancers pay great homage to Taylor’s work, the dances are beautiful but vintage. The perspective does not feel akin to today, especially after the Trump administration. However, I acknowledge there is still room to argue its relevancy– outside of being a museum piece or as a way to educate audiences on this cultural zeitgeist. The work shows us contrast; in encapsulating old America, Taylor highlights stark societal differences between then and now. Like Polaris, I go back and forth on which argument has more validity.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Frankie Lehr

Photographs by Paul B. Goode