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Published on March 13, 2014
"American Dreamer" photo by Tom Caravaglia
Featuring Interviews with the Dancers
MICHELLE FLEET, SEAN MAHONEY, and JAMES SAMSON: The Inside Scoop
2014 Lincoln Center Season
Includes New York Premiere of American Dreamer + World Premiere of Marathon Cadenzas
March 11-30, 2014
David H. Koch Theater
For ticket information, click the Paul Taylor Dance Company website.
Group show discounts available on the Koch Theater website.
2014 marks the 84th birthday of dance luminary Paul Taylor. Deemed one of the leading American choreographers of the 20th century, Taylor has danced with fellow greats such as George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, and Martha Graham. In 1954, the artist decided to venture out on his own and founded Paul Taylor Dance Company.
Paul Taylor's Dancers on Taylor's Choreography
Nothing is still in the company’s chapel-like studio bordering Chinatown and the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Bodies roil, the floor lightly vibrates, and even the air reverberates with the echoes of heavy breathing and well-meaning reprimands. Bettie de Jong, former principal dancer, present Rehearsal Director, and second-in-command to Paul Taylor, oversees all movement with an all-discerning eye.
During interviews, the dancers – Michelle Fleet, Sean Mahoney, and James Samson – assume a quiet yet passionate air whenever there is mention of Mr. Taylor. Their reverence for him affirms that dancing for PTDC is both a feat to take pride in as well as a humbling experience.
I soon learn that the choreographer is an introvert – a discovery that lends profound meaning to the expression “ Still waters run deep.” Each dancer’s personal account of his or her journey with the company unveils a wealth of human emotion: from Fleet’s realized dream of “who knew it’d be me?” to Mahoney’s account of how he left the company only to yearn for the ‘Taylor experience’ again.
The Dancers of Paul Taylor on Their Beginnings and Working with "The Master"
For more information,
Visit the Paul Taylor Dance Company
