PAUL TAYLOR DANCE: Tongues

Back at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater the Paul Taylor Dance Company offers a mixed evening of old and new: Speaking in Tongues, one of Taylor’s more psychologically driven works, and How Love Sounds, by Hope Boykin, a recent addition to the repertory. Yet the program’s contrasts feel disjointed rather than dynamic. Where Speaking in Tongues sill carries traces of Taylor’s intensity, How Love Sounds seems hesitant, pleasant, but ultimately weightless raising the question: is the Paul Taylor company really as “timeless” as they’d like you to believe.

First performed in 1988, Speaking in Tongues polarized audiences for its social commentary on religious extremism in the United States. At the time, extremism was rarely the focus of a dance piece, and this one with its depiction of abuse, trauma, and even death highlighted the hypocrisy and gendered double standards within the community.

First performed in 1988, Speaking in Tongues polarized audiences for its social commentary on religious extremism in the United States. At the time, extremism was rarely the focus of a dance piece, and this one with its depiction of abuse, trauma, and even death highlighted the hypocrisy and gendered double standards within the community. But reviewing it in 2025, the work no longer feels as bold or transgressive as it once did.

When the curtains rise, the dancers appear in conservative, 50s-like gray attire. One performer spins with arms outstretched and face tilted to the ceiling, while a tall domineering man stands hovering over the other dancers menacingly. From graceful sustained motions to short and quick jabs, the choreography presents the oscillation between what religion teaches versus what happens behind closed doors. The overall atmosphere, however, lacks urgency or any connection to the present day. Today, audiences are far more aware of religious abuse both academically and socially.

The decision to revive Speaking in Tongues without any recontextualization doesn’t add to that ongoing conversation; instead, it makes the piece feel sealed in the past.

There are several missed opportunities or adjustments in costuming, music, or direction that could have helped it resonate more strongly with younger viewers. The program describes the subject as “American religious extremism,” which immediately raises the question: Why not simply say Christianity? That vagueness sidesteps a more specific, contemporary, and political conversation. Taylor prided himself on addressing current societal issues, so reviving his work without meaningful updates, beyond marketing language, feels counter to his own values. The result is a piece that reads more like a museum piece rather than a current work.

The second piece, How Love Sounds, aimed for an upbeat sincerity but largely came across as corny. Its disco-inspired yet conservative costumes and the repetitive voice-over paired with a spotlighted dancer felt stale. Hearing Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” suggested the movement might break into something new, but that shift never arrived.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Frankie Lehr