BWW Dance Review: TAYLOR 2 Graces the Stage with Paul Taylor Favorites

On the weekend of October 15 & 16, 2016, Taylor 2 returned to the Schimmel Center at Pace University to bring some of our favorite Paul Taylor pieces to a cozy and intimate setting. Taylor 2 was established in 1993 as a way to ensure Mr. Taylor's work could be seen by all audiences, even in the smallest of venues.

The evening opened with one of my favorite Taylor pieces, Aureole. It first premiered in 1962, and is perhaps known as one or Mr. Taylor's first successful dances. Set to Handel's Baroque music, the work features the dancers' grace and individuality. It is such a timeless and classic piece. The company's performance was just beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the solo by Mr. Lee Duveneck. He was absolutely stunning.

The next dance was Dust, a macabre ballet, featuring themes of "hell-in-life." It was a bit darker than the previous piece, but good nonetheless. The choreography contained many quick and jerk-like movements. There was an interesting play between the music and the dancing- the movements were light when the music was light and when the music was heavy, so were the movements. My favorite parts included the fast sections because they displayed the dancers' beautiful and strong technique, especially the amazing performance by Ms. Alana Allende.

The program ended with Piazzolla Caldera, a piece performed to tango music. Here, Mr. Taylor takes the seductiveness found in tango to explore the complexities of relationships through a series of sizzling duets and trios of men with women, men with men, and women with women. It was all very exciting to see how the many relationships played out (or didn't). I loved the solo performed by Amanda Stevenson, the beautiful long legs of Rei Akazawa, and the exciting duet by Princeton McCurtain and Johnny Vorsteg.

This performance by Taylor 2 was great. I appreciated the choice of repertoire as it showed the evolution of Mr. Taylor's work. It did a fantastic job showcasing the brilliance of his choreography and why he is considered one of the great American modern dance choreographers of all time.

Mr. Taylor took the structure of the 1954 origins of the Paul Taylor Dance Company of six professional dancers. And I must say, these dancers continue that vision with a particular gift for his style. A lot of times, those who are members of the "Second Company" are looked upon as "second string" as compared to the senior company. But in my opinion, they are a group of young, eager, and diverse dancers who are setting the tone and the future of Mr. Taylor's legacy.

Taylor 2 Rei Akazawa and Lee Duveneck in Paul Taylor's Piazzolla Caldera. Photo Credit: Tom Caravaglia

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