Renowned choreographer Paul Taylor will bring the junior ensemble of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Taylor 2, to Brigham Young University as part of its Performing Arts Series Thursday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.
Tickets for the event are available through the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-4322 or online at byuarts.com/tickets. General seating tickets are $15, with discounts available to students, alumni and senior citizens. The show is also part of the BYU Performing Arts Series and artsPASS season ticket packages.
The six-person company will present three of Taylor’s masterworks: “Aureole,” “Company B” and “Esplande.” In selecting repertoire for Taylor 2, Taylor chooses dances that span the broad spectrum of his work. Several of the dances performed by Taylor 2 have been re-worked from the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s version to enable the smaller ensemble of dancers to perform them.
Over the years, Taylor 2 has undertaken several statewide tours, including Wisconsin, Alaska and South Carolina. In 2008, Taylor 2, in tandem with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, undertook an ambitious statewide tour of Pennsylvania, with performances in 20 cities and towns over four weeks. In November 2005, Taylor 2 and the Paul Taylor Dance Company completed an unprecedented 18-month 50-state tour in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary.
Choreographer Paul Taylor is the last living member of the pantheon that created America’s indigenous art of modern dance. He established Taylor 2 in 1993 to ensure that his works could be seen by audiences all over the world, unhindered by economic or technical limitations.
Working with longtime colleague Linda Hodes, he modeled Taylor 2 after the original six-member company he established in 1954. Taylor 2 is able to perform in smaller venues with more modest budgets than the larger Paul Taylor Dance Company without sacrificing any of the artistry that characterizes a Taylor performance.
For more information, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348 or visit www.ptdc.org.
Writer: Preston Wittwer