abatt Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Calling all folks in the NYC area- Snow Storm Special at Paul Taylor tonight. All seats $10. Tonight Mearns is doing Dances of Isadora, FYI. See below for offer. SNOWSTORM SPECIAL -- ALL PTAMD SEATS $10 FOR TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE The show must go on! Join us tonight, Wednesday, March 21 at 7pm for a PTAMD performance -- all seats in the house are $10! See the incomparable Sara Mearns performing Dances of Isadora and the amazing Paul Taylor Dance Company performing Bryan Arias's The Beauty in Gray and Paul Taylor's sizzling Piazzolla Caldera. Use the code SNOW18 online at www.boxoffice.dance, in person at the Koch Box Office or by calling 212-496-0600. Offer does not apply to previous purchases. Link to comment
Royal Blue Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 (edited) Of course, there is no telling how others will respond to a performance of a particular work of dance. The "Snowstorm Special" deal, nevertheless, was astonishing, and based on my observation promptly taken advantage of. As it happens, it did not affect me since I already had a ticket. Not coming to the theater was unthinkable on account of Dances of Isadora—all regarding this piece is hauntingly beautiful: the music of the three famous 19th century composers; Duncan’s choreography (I am assuming its authenticity); the direction, staging, set and costume design by Lori Belilove; Cameron Grant’s piano playing; and—vitally—the performance of Sara Mearns, whose magical arms and hands alone mesmerize! This is the seventh season of the Paul Taylor Dance Company at Lincoln Center. Since I have previously attended only some performances in 2015 and 2016, this Company is basically new to me. Nevertheless, already I feel bewitched by its repertory and dancers, and hope it thrives for years to come. Included in the program last evening was a peculiar, baffling work (presumably about contemporary relationships) that premiered this season. For a considerable part of its duration, The Beauty in Gray is not particularly appealing. However, a shift in the music—which suddenly becomes haunting for the last segments—accompanying a succession of three intense pas de deux featuring respectively Eran Bugge, Laura Halzack and Heather McGinley makes Bryan Arias’ piece irresistible to me. My second viewing of Piazzolla Caldera, with seductive performances from the entire cast, proved thrilling. There are two notably steamy sections in this "tango work." One concerns three dancers, including the sizzling Parisa Khobdeh and Eran Bugge last night. The other is remarkable since the participants in two separate, sensual pas de deux—one involving two men—merge eventually together. At the conclusion of this Taylor work from 1997, the audience predictably erupted in applause. Edited March 22, 2018 by Royal Blue Link to comment
abatt Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Royal Blue, you might enjoy the Academy Award nominated documentary called Dancemaker, about Paul Taylor. If memory serves, it was filmed during the creation process of Piazolla Caldera, and has lots of footage from that work. Link to comment
Royal Blue Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Thank you for the recommendation, abatt. It sounds an indispensable film for all newcomers. Link to comment
dirac Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Nice review, Royal Blue, thank you. That feeling of discovering a new, or "new" company whose work speaks to you is so great. It was nice of you to post the heads-up, abatt. Look forward to more reviews. Link to comment
Amy Reusch Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I returned Saturday night and Mearns did not disappoint!! She was absolutely sublime! And all of it looked better. Which gave me the happy thought that maybe long after Mearns steps off the ballet stage (far in the future), we will still be able to enjoy her artistry in this repertoire... how old was Annabelle Gamson when she danced her last Duncan? Link to comment
sandik Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I don't know, but her hair was naturally white. And she was fantastic. Hoping that Mearns sticks with the work, in part so I get a chance to see her! Link to comment
FPF Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I saw PTDC at The Egg on Friday night. First, I want to say what a great venue it is, even though the building itself is odd. The seats are comfortable, lots of leg-room, great sightlines. The prices are also super-reasonable--a friend and I subscribed to the entire series for the first time this year and our tickets for this performance cost only $19.75 (reduced from $36, which is still pretty good). If you're in the area, it's a great place to see a performance. The program was 2/3 the same as the program I saw at the Mahaiwe in July, but we both thought it looked better in The Egg. The program was Cloven Kingdom, Concertiana, and Company B. I had seen the latter two at the Mahaiwe, but liked them both more the second time around at the Egg. Even the costumes for Concertiana looked different than before. Maybe the lighting? I also enjoyed Cloven Kingdom, although the mirrors on the headdresses have seen better days and the reflected flashes of light from them were somewhat annoying. Standout performers for me were Heather McGinley in everything, Michael Trusnovec, especially in the male quartet in Cloven Kingdom, and AD Michael Novak in Concertiana, but everyone was very good. I also saw Taylor 2 a couple of weeks ago in a free performance at Hudson Valley Community College. They performed sAureole, The Uncommitted, and Piazzola Caldera in versions scaled for 5-6 dancers. Aureole was my favorite of the three, but I enjoyed the whole program. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 An article in the NY Times about the company's plan for a multiyear celebration of Taylor's works. Taylor's last commissioned work by Kyle Abraham will have its premiere at the company's Lincoln Center season this fall. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/arts/dance/paul-taylor-world-tour-michael-novak.html Link to comment
Anthony_NYC Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 The Paul Taylor company, which did not have it's usual season at City Center or the State Theater this month, is giving ten performance with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Manhattan School of Music (122nd and Broadway) in June.https://www.oslmusic.org/series/osl-bach-festival/ Link to comment
nysusan Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 3 hours ago, Anthony_NYC said: The Paul Taylor company, which did not have it's usual season at City Center or the State Theater this month, is giving ten performance with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Manhattan School of Music (122nd and Broadway) in June.https://www.oslmusic.org/series/osl-bach-festival/ They are switching to November at the State Theater, which is why they aren't playing there now. For any fans of Michael Trusnovec, he is retiring in June- his last performance will be in Cascade. So if you want to see him one last time better grab a ticket for one of these performances! https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Paul-Taylor-Dancer-Michael-Trusnovec-Announces-Retirement-20181024 Link to comment
sandik Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 I'm sorry to hear about his retirement, though I'm glad that he's going to remain connected to the work and the company, especially as they negotiate the transition into the next phase. Link to comment
Anthony_NYC Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 On 3/21/2019 at 4:00 PM, nysusan said: They are switching to November at the State Theater, which is why they aren't playing there now. For any fans of Michael Trusnovec, he is retiring in June- his last performance will be in Cascade. So if you want to see him one last time better grab a ticket for one of these performances! https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Paul-Taylor-Dancer-Michael-Trusnovec-Announces-Retirement-20181024 Ah, I hadn’t heard about the November engagement. Good news—thanks! Link to comment
Royal Blue Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 (edited) All four retiring dancers—Michelle Fleet, Parisa Khobdeh, Sean Mahoney and Jamie Rae Walker—have had unforgettable moments during the Paul Taylor Dance Company's 2019 Lincoln Center Season. So I am glad they chose to remain a while longer, and wish the same had occurred with Michael Trusnovec and Laura Halzack. Not complaining though, but instead am grateful to have seen the company during the last years of Taylor's life. As well as to have been in attendance at what was at the time, and even more so in retrospect, a deeply moving performance (Musical Offering; Runes; Mercuric Tidings) on March 25, 2018 afternoon. The dancers recently hired made a wonderful overall impression, and appear extremely promising. Moreover, those who have been longer with the company (especially Eran Bugge)—chosen and guided by Taylor himself—made superb contributions in what was for me a richly gratifying and illuminating season. It is devoutly hoped that PTDC will flourish under Michael Novak's artistic leadership, in order that its remarkable repertoire remains vibrant and extant. Edited November 18, 2019 by Royal Blue Link to comment
canbelto Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 I took a video of the curtain calls for the five retiring PT dancers: Link to comment
dirac Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 A look at the 1968 movie Paul Taylor & Company — An Artist and his Work by Deborah Jowitt for her blog, DanceBeat. Quote Steeg’s film shows us rehearsals, auditions, and classes, as well as performances. In the process, we understand why New York Times critic Clive Barnes, accosted by Al Maysles’ camera as he entered that Broadway theater, called the group “a lovely company.” Lovely it was indeed and full of very smart, devoted people (Adams, Cropley, De Jong, Driver, Janet Aaron, Cliff Keuter, Jane Kosminsky, John Nightingale, Molly Reinhardt, Daniel Wagoner, Daniel Williams, and Karla Wolfangle). For me, the best parts of the film are the rehearsals, during which Paul explains, comments on, and develops the material. The dancers try things, ask questions, propose solutions. They tell the camera that they learned a lot from Paul. One of them, Kosminsky, likes the fact that he sees them as individuals and builds on what he feels they can achieve: “He really gets your number down,” she says, and that often when performing a favorite work, “you feel it’s a dance you’ve been dancing all your life.” Link to comment
FPF Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 I saw PTDC last night at PS21 in Chatham, NY--a great, fairly new, performance space (outdoors, but covered) in a former apple orchard. This was the first time I've been there, and I highly recommend the venue--I don't think there's a bad seat in the house and we felt very close to the stage in the 8th row. We had bought tickets a while back when seats were more limited, and the theater improved the seats for the earlier purchasers, so we ended up sitting much closer than expected. The performance started a bit late, but everyone was invited to have a complimentary glass of Prosecco or sparkling water, which contributed to a festive mood, despite the delay. Seating was reduced by ~1/3 and but masks were required for everyone, so it felt very safe. There were two pieces on the program: Aureole and The Green Table. Aureole was lovely and was my favorite of the two works. Green Table was well danced, but of course, much darker. It also had the advantage of live music from two pianists. I think this was the first performance of their reconstruction, as well as my first time seeing any version of it. Great performances all around and a really enjoyable evening. Link to comment
FPF Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 Surprising news--Lauren Lovette is the new resident choreographer at Paul Taylor. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/arts/dance/lauren-lovette-ballet-paul-taylor-company.html Link to comment
vipa Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 I wish Lovette the best in the position. I've only seen a couple of her pieces and wasn't favorably impressed, but this situation offers her the opportunity to choreograph consistently, and using the same dancers so I'm eager to see what comes of it. I thought he article interesting in the way it mentioned the historic ballet/modern divide, but didn't mention the Paul Taylor solo in Episodes that Balanchine choreographed, or the fact that in Peter Martins, Barber Violin Concerto, two lead roles were originated by Paul Taylor dancers. Link to comment
abatt Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 16 hours ago, vipa said: I wish Lovette the best in the position. I've only seen a couple of her pieces and wasn't favorably impressed, but this situation offers her the opportunity to choreograph consistently, and using the same dancers so I'm eager to see what comes of it. I thought he article interesting in the way it mentioned the historic ballet/modern divide, but didn't mention the Paul Taylor solo in Episodes that Balanchine choreographed, or the fact that in Peter Martins, Barber Violin Concerto, two lead roles were originated by Paul Taylor dancers. Additionally, various ballet companies have acquired the rights to and regularly perform some of Taylor's work, and ABT even commissioned a Taylor work (forgot the name of the work) which is now part of the Taylor rep. Link to comment
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