A rainy summer evening couldn’t stop the spirited performance of the Paul Taylor Dance Company in the open-air pavilion theater at PS21 on Friday, August 2. As always at PS21, the interconnectedness with the outdoors seamlessly integrates into the performance and becomes a part of the world the artists create for us. This was particularly evident in the evening’s repertoire of the regal and virtuosic “Brandenburgs,” nocturnal and preternatural “Runes,” and the nod to Greek mythology “Promethean Fire.
” Opening the performance was “Brandenburgs” (1988), set to the Bach concertos of the same name (“The Brandenburg Concertos”), beginning with a picturesque formation of the dancers posed as if in a painting. Just as the music was fugue-like in its structure and composition, so was the dance, with motifs recurring on variation throughout the work. “Brandenburgs” was a lively choreography of spiraling attitudes and lyrical, elegant formations reminiscent of courtly dances.
Amid shades of earthy green and gold costumes, Taylor’s characteristic elements of athletic allegro and an impeccable body carriage were evident in each dancer. The corps of three women, five men, and one male soloist evoked moments of jubilee and subtle flirtations. At one point, the male soloist held the stage in a spotlight, creating a temporary world of his own before breaking into the full stage and leading the corps into a signature centrifugal circle formation of Taylor’s before eventually returning to the picturesque opening.
The choreography was indeed a visual embodiment of the music. To music by Gerald Busby, “Runes” (1975) brought the audience into a scene of the night with choreography, costuming, lighting design, and the happenstance rainstorm enveloping the open-air theater. The piece began with a single dancer lying on the stage with the image of a full moon on the backdrop of the stage, which moved throughout the performance, signaling the arc of the nocturnal creatures’ rituals throughout the piece.
Each dancer wore a fur harness across their upper body, which, coupled with the prowling movements of the choreography, evoked the imagery of wolves. The rainstorm was a beautiful addition to the work as it enhanced the preternatural and haunting atmosphere. “Promethean Fire” (2002), set to music by Bach, was a stunning exposition of dramatic artistry unfolding on a journey of slow burns and blazes.
Each movement was a mission. The dancers were driven, as if by a mythological or spiritual force, to weave in and out of each other’s path with great intensity towards finding a resolution in the midst of chaos. Conversely, in the most adagio moments, the choreography was filled with the beauty of a slow burn.
The audience was rich with applause to conclude the evening’s performance, with standing ovations and multiple curtain calls to celebrate the performers. PS21 continues to be a destination for dance in the region and should be on the dance enthusiast’s must-attend list..
