Dance Review: An Under-whelming Evening at City Center with Paul Taylor Dance Company

Mercuric Tidings, Scudorama, and Esplanade were the three pieces that were performed Friday Night at City Center. 

The End.

Okay, just kidding, but my mother did teach me that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, then no need to say anything at all; but as a reviewer, that would be rather difficult, and I would probably get fired for not turning in my review.  So here it goes . . . .

The opening piece, Mercuric Tidings, originally performed in 1982, rings at a crossroads of Balanchine meets Martha Graham meets an angry costume designer.  It was awkward to watch these brilliant dancers try and keep up with highly detailed choreography with Franz Schubert’s speedy tempos from the excepts chosen from his Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 just racing by and trying to pull the dancers along with it.  I spent most of the time feeling their struggle and none of the time enjoying it.  Mercuric Tidings is a piece about form, content, speed, athleticism, and group movement.  There are great some  spatial relationships built into the choreography, and the dancers were working very hard to make them.  The movement itself spoke of the classical Taylor rep, and the piece moved along quite well.  It definitely followed the typical Taylor flow of form, meaning a fast section, a slow section and the finale fast section.  Unfortunately this pattern was seen again in the following two pieces. 

Scudorama was the next piece.  Music by Clarence Jackson, this was first performed in 1963.  It was an avant garde, audience alienating work that made me tired and made me never want to watch another modern dance piece ever again.  On the other hand the dancers of the Taylor religion, I mean company are so committed to the movement, and if nothing else any dancer can appreciate the rigor and effort these phenomenal performers give to every piece good or not.  As far as S cudorama goes I have very little to say, sort of like the piece. 

Esplanade, first performed in 1975, and music of Bach was the highlight of the evening.  I was fortunate enough to have performed this  piece in college under the direction of Ruthie Andrien.  I loved this piece then and I love it now,  and to watch the experts perform it, a total pleasure!  The costumes, although dated, still work beautifully.  This piece starts with simple walking patterns, and as the piece progresses, so does the complexity of it.  Walking turns into light jogs, into running, sprinting and leaping.  Tender moments, and exhilarating passes.  It is a fun piece, and it was so great to see after not having seen it in so many years (as if I’m 100 years old).   Michelle Fleet, in the role Carolyn Adams originated, had big shoes to fill -and boy did she!  Light on her feet and so much fun to watch, I was all about it!!  She totally WERKED it out!  YES!!  The company looked gorgeous dancing this piece, and I have only good things to say about how well this piece still speaks after 34 years . . . a true masterpiece and beautifully performed.

Overall the concert was fine, and I was glad to see the company.  I just wish the repertory I saw was a little more inspiring, a little more current, and less of an ode to the past.  The dancers are in top form and look fantastic.  I just left feeling a little, well . . . under-whelmed. (even though I don’t think that is a real word, but you know what I mean!)

For more about the Company here is their web site:

www.ptdc.org/

The Paul Taylor Dance Company is presenting a phenomenal amount of repertory this season (about 18 pieces) from February 25 – March 15, 2009 at City Center in New York City.  For dancers, it is a great opportunity get familiar with the Paul Taylor style and repertory.  Make sure to check them out.

Mercuric Tidings Photography by Paul Goode
Esplanade Photography by Lois Greenfield

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Dante Puleio
Performance: Paul Taylor Dance Company
Venue:  City Center, New York City
Date:  March 6, 2009
www.iDANZOnline.com

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