Gabby Barnes and Emmy Wildermuth Join Paul Taylor Dance Company

At an audition attended by more than 370 women held on May 10, 2024, Gabby Barnes and Emmy Wildermuth were selected by Artistic Director Michael Novak to join the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company 

Ms. Barnes is a dancer and Balanced Body Comprehensively Certified Pilates instructor, born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She began her dance training at the age of 4 and graduated from Florida State University’s School of Dance with a BFA in Dance in 2021. She has performed works choreographed by Paul Taylor, Norbert De La Cruz III, Merce Cunningham, Jawole Jo Willa Zollar, Donna Uchizono, David Parsons, Trey McIntyre, Francisco Graciano, David Grenke, Laura Halzack, and more. Barnes recently performed with The Heraclitus Project, Nanm: A Robenson Mathurin Dance Company and Laura Halzack. She received a scholarship from the Taylor School in 2022 and joined the Taylor Outreach Ensemble in 2023.

Ms. Wildermuth is from Littleton, Colorado, where she began her dance training at the Belliston Academy of Ballet. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma with degrees in Modern Dance Performance and Professional Writing in 2021. She has performed works by renowned artists such as Rena Butler, Alejandro Cerrudo, Jiri Kylian, and Paul Taylor, as well as internationally in Barcelona and Beijing. Throughout her professional career, Wildermuth performed as a company member with Kizuna Dance, rogue wave and NewBrese Dance Project in New York, Atlanta, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Wildermuth has also created a collection of works for stage and film, presented at festivals throughout the country under the collective name dance.WILD. In 2023, she and her collaborator, Catherine Messina, founded the unKEMpT Dance Festival, with a mission to provide performance opportunities for artists, regardless of background or resources.

“I am thrilled to welcome Gabby and Emmy to the Taylor Company,” said Mr. Novak. “They are wonderful artists… full of power, athleticism, grace, humility and integrity. I can’t wait for their personalities to bring out new dimensions in Taylor’s repertory and see their contribution to our new century of dancemaking.”

Ms. Barnes and Ms. Wildermuth will make their debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the Chautauqua Institution on July 14, 2024.

One of the most iconic and dynamic modern dance ensembles of our time, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has been innovating and transforming the art form of modern dance since 1954. With a history of multidisciplinary collaborations, passionate expression, and thrilling athleticism, the Company is known worldwide for its vast repertory, performing work from the Founder’s canon, new works created by some of today’s most engaging choreographers, and established and important historical dance from the 20th and 21st centuries. Dedicated to sharing modern dance with the broadest possible audience, the Company tours annually, both domestically and internationally, with performances and a variety of educational programs and engagement offerings.