photo by Lois Greenfield
The Paul Taylor Dance Company’s opening two programs of its 2010 New York City Center season presented an opportunity to see the incredible range of Mr. Taylor as well as affirm the technical prowess of the PTDC dancers. This season commemorates Mr. Taylor’s 80th birthday (though it’s actually not until July). The fact that age has not slowed down his imagination in a field dominated by youth and passing fashions is a testament to his almost unlimited resourcefulness.
The works ranged from the 1963 “Scudorama” to the 2010 “Brief Encounters.” The opening night program began with “Syzygy” from 1987. Choreographed to a specially commissioned buoyant score by Donald York, “Syzygy” was the most abstract work of the six. It was an exercise in contrasts: fast against slow, group against solo, etc. Wearing Santo Loquasto’s variation on workout clothes for the men and tunic-style dresses for the women, the cast danced around Julie Tice, who constantly returned to a loose attitude pose, arms outstretched, like a calm marker in the midst of the frenetic goings-on. The movement was busy, squirmy, full of scurrying figures making busy patterns on the stage. The astronomical reference Mr. Taylor used—“the nearly straight line configuration of three or more celestial bodies in a gravitational system”—was occasionally suggested by the building up of stage patterns that broke off into swirling lines that tossed the dancers in all directions.
Photos by Tom Caravaglia
“Brief Encounters,” a New York premiere, was an exploration of sensuality. Wearing, as the title suggests, just black underwear (two-piece for the women, of course), credited to Mr. Loquasto, they danced to what at first seemed an odd choice for a score, Debussy’s “Children’s Corner Suite.” Despite the fact that Debussy dedicated this score to youngsters, it contains some of his most vivid and colorful music and Mr. Taylor clearly understood its subtle implications translating the music into a number of erotically charged confrontations, exploring flirtation, sex in all its variations and even the sadness of rejection and parting. There were lots of lazily legato stretchy patches, as the dancers showed off their magnificent physiques. In one sequence a voyeuristic dancer quietly observes others “getting it on” and in another a young woman dances a solo gazing in a hand held mirror only to realize that she has, in her self-love, isolated herself from real romantic encounters. In self-disgust, she angrily tossed away the mirror. Danced in front of a mysteriously inappropriate and heavy handed projection of a series of classic arches fading into the distance, “Brief Encounters” proved that even at 80, Paul Taylor can still keep the juices flowing both choreographically and emotionally.
Photos by Wiley Price and Tom Caravaglia
“Beloved Renegade,” too, had an odd score that also proved a genius choice. Frenchman Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria” to accompany a work about that most American of poets, Walt Whitman? Yet the combination of religious fervor and delicately colored orchestration somehow made the Walt Whitman character deeper and more humanistic and connected to a higher power. Michael Trusnovec played the lead, fortunately without the Walt Whitman beard. He was a lonely character observing and leading the rest of the cast, all the while being guided by an angel figure played by Laura Halzack, the lone dancer dressed in a unitard, making her stand out against the pale, vaguely period costumes (again by Santo Loquasto) of the rest of the cast. Each of the six section of “Beloved Renegade” was connected to a short quote from Whitman’s work including the famous “I sing the body electric.” These Mr. Taylor used as jumping off points to express the lonesome sojourn of Mr. Trusnovec among the other characters who often appeared behind a scrim, separated from him. In “the body electric” section, Annmaria Mazzini was a quietly swaying figure, plucked up by Robert Kleinendorst in a playful duet. In section 4, “Come children,” the five dancers energetically stomped in playful movement and in section 5, “…for love—sweet love—but praise!” Ms. Halzack gently led Mr. Trusnovec and Amy Young in a romantically tinged encounter against a frieze of other dancers. “Beloved Renegade” ended in a re-affirmation as the pensive Mr. Trusnovec was soothingly put to rest in a pool of light.
Photos by Tom Caravaglia
The second program started with the light-hearted and seemingly light-weight “Changes” to music sung by the Sixties pop sensation The Mamas and the Papas. Dressed in Mr. Loquasto’s cunning comment on Sixties hippy-wear the cast danced Mr. Taylor’s version of the period dances such as the Bump and the Frug, long hair and tassels flying.
Underneath it all was implied violence and a terrible ennui. “California Earthquake” featured a falling, flailing solo by Annmaria Mazzini and “studio chatter” to the spoken commentary of the singing group’s members had four cast members reacting edgily. The strangest and most mysterious section was to “Dancing Bear” in which a youngster (Francisco Graciano) in footy pajamas is lead chummily by a father figure (James Samson) wearing a bear head coat and overalls. Danced in front of a cartoony farm house, “Dancing Bear” was oddly out of place yet created bit of whimsy tinged with dysfunction.
Photos by Tom Caravaglia
“Scudorama,” a revival of the 1963 masterpiece received a particularly spectacular and dedicated performance, lead by Sean Mahoney in Mr. Taylor’s original part and Laura Halzack in the part created by the practically inimitable Bettie de Jong. “Scudorama,” to a specially composed edgy score by Clarence Jackson, was choreographed right after the sunny “Aureole.” It is a vision of a hellish limbo where people are flung about or crawl and shake in despair, a place from which nobody escapes. Alex Katz, the well-known American artist, designed an innocuously ironic cloud-filled backdrop and extremely witty costumes ranging from skinny-lapel suits to black unitards edged in neat, white pilgrim collars. Characters moped about covered in colorful beach towels, banging into each other, falling over each other and, in the case of Michael Trusnovec, slowly and eerily stepping over emotionally exhausted bodies. The despair displayed had a Sartre No Exit unrelenting quality (eerily bringing to mind the endless suffering in earthquake torn Haiti). Mr. Mahoney was terrific as the lumbering figure caught up in the anguish and Ms. Halzack was poignant and heartbreaking as his victim/compatriot in desolation.
Photos by Lois Greenfield
Ending the program was the life-affirming “Esplanade” which has become a deserved classic and audience pleaser. Although, “Esplanade,” too, has its sad and tender moments, it served as a “palate cleanser” to the previous work. Lead by the congenial Michelle Fleet as a sweet-tempered hostess, the cast of nine, dressed in John Rawlings’ brightly colored street clothes, were alternately tender and vigorous, sharing love, friendship and agility in this loveable virtuoso work that always brings an audience to its feet.
The lighting by Jennifer Tipton was, as always, brilliant.
At the final curtain call, Mr. Taylor was feted with a gigantic birthday cake and much-deserved and well-earned applause.
THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY
New York City Center
135 West 55th St.
New York, NY
February 24th – March 14th 2010
Tickets: CityTix: 212-581-1212 or http://www.nycitycenter.org
Information about the Paul Taylor Dance Co.: http://www.ptdc.org