Review: PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY Paints a Moving Tapestry

Joyful energy crackled through the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on the evening of Tuesday, March 15th 2016 when the Paul Taylor Dance Company took the stage as part of the recently established initiative, Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance. Whenever I watch this company perform, it's always like seeing old friends; I treasure the collective warmth they consistently express while dancing and this night proved no different.

The evening began on a high note with Taylor's exultant "Mercuric Tidings." The curtain rose to reveal the company, jubilant in both expression and form, mirrored by their flamingo pink costumes. The sheer athleticism required to perform this piece is a feat in itself, but the dancers constantly raised expectations, bringing undeniable freedom and lightness to the movement vocabulary that brimmed with exciting spontaneity. Playing with dynamics - highs and lows, buoyant leaps and grounded runs -- the movements' strength lay in the breadth of each dancer's versatility. As they played with different pairings and groupings with ease, the choreography gave everyone a chance to shine and more than served the piece in the end, for it truly was an exercise in expressing joy.

A new piece, "Dilly Dilly", served as a comedic interlude between the two established Taylor masterpieces and brought frisk and fun to the stage. Set to seven well known folk songs recorded by Burl Ives, "Dilly Dilly" is a refreshing departure for the company. Donning Western-inspired colored shirts and cowboy hats, each dancer revealed his or her own whispers of playfulness and reimagined the cadence of pedestrian movement: stepping, marching, skipping, all anchored by an innate grounded quality. Did this piece reinvent the wheel? No. But it most certainly tapped into a childlike nostalgia that was enjoyable and at times laugh-out-loud funny.

The evening concluded with the prolific and everlasting "Esplanade," casting the stage with symphonic brightness. Against a jet background, the sole focus was on the dancers' gorgeous lines and musculature as they carved the space with sweeping diagonal runs and rapid, unpredictable directional changes that took your breath away. With impressive synchronicity, the dancers moved as one united force, demonstrating the origin of each step with remarkable clarity. With each spiraled run initiated by the side body or each fiery fall to the earth springing from a striking leap into the air, the dancers created impeccable shade and nuance to mimic Bach's striking score. Even to this day, "Esplanade" remains a vision to behold.

And the pièce de résistance? Mr. Taylor took the stage and bowed with his company at the program's end, representing all of the grace and pride that the company has exhibited for over sixty years. Don't walk; run and go see this magnificent group of dancers while you have the chance this season.

Photo by Paul B. Goode

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