Paul Taylor Dance Company on PBS

[abatt]

The Great Performances series on PBS will present a show about the Paul Taylor Dance Company on May 3 at p PM. The show will feature performances of Brandenburgs and Beloved Renegade. Check your local listings.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/paul-taylor-dance-company-in-paris/about-the-film/1649/

[abatt]

Reminder. This program will be broadcast on PBS on Friday May 3. Check your local listings.

http://www.ptdc.org/news/pbs-great-performances-airs-may-3

[Natalia]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be in NYC but now I know to set my DVR before catching the train on Friday morn.

[Jack Reed]

Paul Taylor Dance Company in Paris

Some dances are harder than others to put on screen, and I've seen better and worse. We got a series of beautiful, beautifully-lit moving tableaux but little of the continuous sense of changing placement in the stage space or of flow around and through that space I get when I see this company in the theater and which contribute to their cumulative effect. Instead, the busy cutting from one camera to another drew attention to itself and intruded on the process I sometimes experience of being drawn into the "world" of the dance being performed. Too fancy. Much to enjoy anyway, and in Beloved Renegade I was struck by how Taylor made his movement invention, Poulenc's music, and Whitman's thoughts all work together.

[abatt]

My DVR decided to die last night, so all I got of the program was about 9 minutes. Oh well.

[sandik]

My DVR decided to die last night, so I all I got of the program was about 9 minutes. Oh well.

Many PBS stations re-run these programs -- you might want to check the local station website.

[abatt]

Yes. Thanks Sandik.

[LiLing]

The distractingly poor camera work ruined Brandenburgs for me. The dark costumes against a black drop don't help this supposedly joyous dance either. And we got a closer look at the ugly and unflattering women's dresses than we do on stage.

I have no idea how the camera work was for Beloved Renegade. I was so absorbed in the dance I wasn't aware of it. This is one of Taylor's finest works and comes across very well on screen. Complex, beautiful, moving. I can't wait to see it again.

[Jayne]

This in today's links, not sure where to list it for discussion, but he danced for Paul Taylor, so I'm putting it here:

http://www.edgeonthenet.com/entertainment/celebrities/148633/lgbt_legacies_::_patrick_corbin

This is a great reminder of what dancing was like in the 1980's, dealing with a more conservative social atmosphere, AIDS, and how to define success as a dancer, and as a choreographer / AD. I found it very interesting, living on the left coast I was only able to see companies that happened to tour in my city, so I feel like I missed out on so much that was happening in NYC. Those of you who got to see Joffrey, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris and all the other companies were so lucky!

(this is beginning to sound like that Woody Allen Movie "Midnight in Paris")

[bart]

Thanks, Jayne, for that link to the Patrick Corbin clip. It's one of those rare talking-head (dancer not dancing) videos that left me wishing it would go on a lot longer. A beautiful dancer during his stage career, and someone you feel it would be nice to know personally..

Corbin has come down to Miami City Ballet a number of times to set Tayior dances. Although MCB does a ballet hybrid version of the choreography, they do it more authentically than the other ballet companies I've seen in the same rep. Here's a clip of Corbin talking in the MCB studio while working on Piazzola Caldera. He doesn't dance in this video but he sure knows how to do the port de bras and adapt the Latin attitude.

http://www.miamicityballet.org/blog/2012/10/18/patrick-corbin-is-back-for-piazzolla-caldera/