Local residents of all ages and abilities are invited to attend a dynamic community dance workshop with the Taylor 2 Dance Company on Sept. 12, 4:30–6:00 p.m., in Colgate University’s Huntington Gymnasium.
In addition, Colgate will also host a performance by Taylor 2 on Sept. 14 at 7:00 p.m. The group will perform two works — 3 Epitaphs (1956) and Esplanade (1975) — at Colgate’s Brehmer Theater in the Dana Arts Center.
Both events are free and open to the public. Reservations are suggested. For more information, visit Colgate University Theater on eventbrite.com or call 315-228-7639. Those attending the workshop are asked to wear comfortable clothing and to arrive five minutes before the workshop begins.
Legendary dancemaker Paul Taylor, an icon in the dance world who founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1954, created the Taylor 2 Dance Company in 1993 as a way to ensure that his vision for modern American dance could be experienced around the globe.
Taylor passed away on August 29 at the age of 88, leaving behind a repertoire of more than 140 works that cover a range of topics with recurring themes that include life and death; the natural world and man’s place within it; love and sexuality in all gender combinations; and iconic moments in American history.
Murray Decock ’80, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives, worked with film producer Robert Aberlin ’66 and the Colgate Theater Department to help bring Paul Taylor Dance to Colgate. Decock sees the group’s residency and performance as, “a strong institutional response to the powerful and positive culture of dance here at Colgate.
“In recent years, Colgate has added a visiting faculty member in curricular dance,” said Decock. “In addition, Colgate also embraces a co-curricular interest in dance that is celebrated at Dancefest twice a year. I’m excited to connect our student dance culture with the Paul Taylor Dance organization in a framework that openly shares ideas and fosters personal creativity.”
Associate professor and theater department chair April Sweeney encourages the campus community to participate in discovering modern dance and appreciating the lifelong work of Paul Taylor.
“Paul Taylor is one of the most important modern dance choreographers we have in the United States,” Sweeney said. “He helped bring the work of U.S. artists abroad and helped stake a place for U.S. artists in the landscape of modern dance. You will be witnessing a legendary American choreographer and his legacy.”