Paul Taylor Dance Company – High Theatrical Craft

By Alix Cohen

Artistic Director Paul Novak greets us. “Dance has something to say about the human condition,” he begins. For this season’s opening, Novak is drawn to “dances that seem urgent, that need to be seen now.”

AIRS personifies the power of beauty. Piazzolla Caldera demonstrates the power of passion, “the molecular change that happens when you’re excited.” No Longer Silent is inspired by the power of resilience, “how community can stand defiant against all odds.”

AIRS
Choreography- Paul Taylor – first performed in 1978
Music- G.F. Handel
Costumes – Gene Moore; Lighting- Jennifer Tipton
Maxfield Parish azure enriches the background. Pale blue costumes consist of diaphanous paneled dresses or tights. Lighthearted music begins.

Lyrical and classically oriented, this elegant piece finds dancers leading with their chests as if blown by the shifting currents of gentle winds. Figures dip and swirl. Arms sweep. A striking pas de deux is performed first at a lively tempo, then in dreamlike slow motion.

Playful and gay, arms are flung around partners. Dancers buoyantly leap onto each other’s shoulders. Arabesques are often accompanied by little hops. Mischievous attitude evokes smiles.Men show off for the women and vice versa. Exuberance is followed by such graceful repose, one feels bodies are sighing.

Piazzolla Caldera
Choreography – Paul Taylor – first performed in 1997
Music- Astor Piazzolla and Jerzy Peterburshsky
Set & Costumes – Santo Loquasto; Lighting- Jennfer Tipton
Costumes are dark, yet clearly detailed, gypsy-like. Gartered stockings add frisson. Inspiration might’ve come from Francisco de Goya.

Invocation of tango culture set to fiery Argentine music, this dance takes us to a dimly lit nightclub where every move and gesture sizzles. Rather than using authentic steps, Taylor explores underlying games of desire and dominance through his own earthy techniques.

Provocative duets and trios, including a pairing of two men, showcase intricate footwork, tangled limbs, and athletic lifts. Snapping fingers, slapped sides and brief stomping conjure atmosphere.

Two drunk men create a comic interlude- leave it to Taylor to inject human foibles into an otherwise serious situation- while a woman unable to secure partnering collapses in despair.

Heads jerk sharply. A dancer is grabbed by the neck. Hips insinuate. Men and women swagger. Elbows are prominent. Temptation and sensuality pervade. Floor work implies. Piazzolla is wonderfully theatrical.

No Longer Silent
Choreography – Robert Battle – first performed in 2007
Music – Erwin Schulhoff
Costumes- Fritz Masten; Lighting – Nicole Pearce
Set – Mimi Lien
The stage is BLACK. We hear military drums and horns, a xylophone; rumbling. ‘Ominous sounds. Dancers are all in black. White knee pads, faces, hands or feet are selectively and effectively lit. Lighting is portentous.

This dramatic ensemble work is inspired by the life and fate of Czech Jewish composer Edwin Schuloff, whose music was banned by the Nazis and who died in a concentration camp in 1942. Sound is percussive, jagged.

Choreography emerges tightly organized. Groups shift with small, rapid steps. Arms shoot out straight up, fingers splayed. Dancers step forward and back in unison; they run; they strive. A cluster circles, bent over as if in chains.

Synchronized movement is broken by eruptions of a single figure breaking out. Are they literally breaking out? Is this prison, a camp? Solos are explosive, angular, muscular. Mass movement is repetitive, relentless. Tension rules.

What looks like a metal bench extends across the back of the stage. The company’s sits from end to end depicting lack of free will, forced anonymity. Bodies roll across the floor. Only once do the assembled utter a sound. It’s incredibly jarring.

While the piece is unsettling and hypnotic, I fail to find its relationship to the “resilience” referred to by Michael Novak.

Paul Taylor passed in 2018 at the age of 87. He never stopped creating. The company continues to explore.
The Orchestra of St. Lukes adds immeasurably to the experience.

Opening: Madelyn Ho & Alex Clayton in AIRS

The Paul Taylor Dance Company’s $10 Opening Night initiative reflects its commitment to making dance accessible to the widest possible audience. Thanks to the generosity of Elise Jaffe and Jeffrey Brown, every seat in the David H. Koch Theater was available for just $10 on November 3, giving audiences the opportunity to experience the Company at Lincoln Center at an exceptionally affordable price. The initiative is part of the Company’s broader efforts to welcome new audiences and remove barriers to experiencing live dance.

Paul Taylor Dance Company
Founding Artistic Director – Paul Taylor
Artistic Director- Michael Novak
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Music Director and Conductor- David LaMarche
Principal Guest Conductor – Tara Simoncic
November 3, 2026
David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center
The New York Season: https://paultaylordance.org/performances/newyorkseason/