Paul Taylor (born July 29, 1930) is one of the foremost American choreographers of the 20th century.
He was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and attended Syracuse University (on scholarships in painting and swimming), where he first took up dance. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School and the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College. In 1952 his dancing at the American Dance Festival attracted the attention of choreographers Martha Graham, José Limón, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey.
He performed in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine, and founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1954. Dancers who emerged from his company include Twyla Tharp, Laura Dean, Dan Wagoner, Carolyn Adams, Christopher Gillis, Senta Driver and David Parsons.
The use of everyday gestures rather than dance moves is characteristic of his choreography. He has collaborated with painters Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Alex Katz, as well as the legendary Tiffany & Co. designer Gene Moore. A signature work is Esplanade (1975), to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, which he choreographed with a contribution from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In his autobiography Private Domain (1987), Taylor states his bisexuality, but concludes that, "As far as romance goes, I can forget it."[1]
Claimed notoriety when he performed "Duet," where he and his pianist walk on stage, stand there for four minutes, then walk off. The newspaper review for this piece (written by Loius Horst) was four inches of blank space with just "L.H." at the bottom.
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Quotes
- "Sometimes I think a company's morale is more important than the choreography." (Interview with Jeffrey Brown on "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" (2007).
See also
External links
- PBS:American Masters biography
- Kennedy Center biography
- American Ballet Theater biography
- Paul Taylor at the Internet Movie Database
- Paul Taylor Dance Company official site
References
- ^ "Taylor, Paul (b. 1930)". glbtq.com. 2002. http://www.glbtq.com/arts/taylor_p.html. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
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