Taylor, Paul (1930-2018), was an American dancer and one of the greatest choreographers (dance creators) of modern dance. Taylor, who founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1955, created more than 100 dances. In his earliest works, Taylor used ordinary gestures and postures. In 1956, he originated a new style of dance movement for his ballet 4 Epitaphs (later shortened and renamed 3 Epitaphs). In this work, figures dressed in black shrugged and slumped across the stage to the music of a New Orleans band. Some later works, such as Aureole (1962), Orbs (1966), Esplanade (1975), and Le Grand Puppetier (2004), were high-spirited celebrations of movement in Taylor’s athletic, often humorous style. Other works, such as Churchyard (1969) and Last Look (1985), dealt with themes of darkness and corruption.
Paul Bellville Taylor was born on July 29, 1930, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He began his career as a dancer in the companies of Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham. He danced in Cunningham’s company from 1953 to 1954 and in Graham’s from 1955 to 1962. Taylor died on Aug. 29, 2018, in New York City, New York.
See also Dance (Modern dance) .
