Creative Domain, a film on Paul Taylor's process

James Samson working with Paul Taylor

So much goes into creating a dance, but we rarely see this painstaking process. Instead, most of us saunter into the theater, plop down, possibly scan the program, and expect to be entertained, enlightened, and/or challenged. Then we are quick to judge; the impatient ones sometimes can't even wait until the house lights go up before proclaiming their already firm opinions.

Kate Geis' new film, Paul Taylor: Creative Domain, follows choreographer Paul Taylor as he built the dance Three Dubious Memories, which premiered in 2010. A surprising amount of time is devoted to Taylor working in the studio with his leads: James Samson, Amy Young, Sean Mahoney, and Rob Kleinendorst, plus the chorus. We watch the very first day in the studio working on this piece as Taylor reads the casting assignments. Because he typically creates just two dances a year, being cast—or not—can have great bearing on a dancer's studio time. It's also an honor to be included (although no one is cast in everything), and the dancers give their thoughts about this selection process.

We then watch rehearsals—in some, Taylor prods the dancers into supplying poses and transitions—on into production meetings, and finally the premiere. By dissecting certain sections and interviewing the dancers and creative team involved, we gain understanding about the motives and motifs within the dance. It's fascinating, and we are shown just how painstaking it is to create a complex 20-minute plus dance. 

We also receive a broader view of daily life at the company. Morning class, physical therapy, personal relationships (well — one, in any case, as Amy and Rob are married; they partner here—somewhat unbelievably—for the first time), and the fluid, respectful relationship between Taylor and his dancers. Taylor also talks at length about his working process, including nuts and bolts about structure (he shows his notebook of diagrams and schematics), influences (or, as he winkingly acknowledges, a stolen idea from Tudor, whose work he greatly respects), choosing and working with the music, and his two basic approaches to the body in space—2D, his flat "Grecian" style used for the chorus, and 3D, with more plasticity and dimension, for the leads.

Amy Young and Rob Kleinendorst

Composer Peter Elyakim Taussig sent in his composition for Taylor's consideration, and against the odds, it was chosen. We meet Taussig as he sits in a bucolic field with his computer, working. Two longtime collaborators—costume/set designer Santo Loquasto and lighting designer Jennifer Tipton—discuss their contributions to the process as well. And Bette de Jong, Taylor's rehearsal director since the early days of the company, reveals how the choreographer uses his dancers like shades of paint; sometimes he typecasts, as he did with de Jong while she dancer, using her long limbs and inner tension in dramatic ways. 

This casting-to-type is evident as we watch Samson in the role of Chorus Master. His stature, gravitas, and clean-cut looks underscore a kind of unerring steadfastness essential to the role (and not dissimilar to several other roles either choreographed for, or inherited by, James, whose physique is similar to Taylor's as a dancer). Young, who retired last year and is intensely missed for her warmth and adaptability, similarly possesses an archetypal openness and fortitude. In this dance, she is betrayed by her mate, who bonds with Mahoney's character, and she becomes enraged, and empowered. Young also touchingly discusses how she used to be disappointed to not be chosen for dances, and rather than reacting petulantly, embraced the gifts that Taylor did offer, which seemed to lead to more involvement, or at least more appreciation on her part.

Cinematographer Tom Hurwitz focused his lens on close-up shots of Taylor and the many interviewees (Geis allows these tight shots to linger long enough to allow unspoken sentiment to come through). He also takes us into the rehearsal—in, above, and among the dancers. 

The film's premise makes sense, and covers lots of ground while tracking a very specific arc. However, presumably by virtue of timing and chance, some of the company's finest dancers are nearly invisible—Laura Halzack, Parisa Khobdeh (both of whom were injured at least during part of the shoot; Khobdeh offers some of the most poignant comments, nonetheless), Francisco Graziano, but primarily Michael Trusnovec, one of the foremost interpreters of Taylor's oeuvre in the history of the company. He is interviewed briefly, and in the final scene we see him begin to work with the choreographer on the next dance (to Arvo Part), but we are deprived of any substantial dance segments with him. If only Geis would film a sequel revolving around a dance with these missing artists. One can dream, but in the meantime, Creative Domain is a worthwhile dive into Taylor's process, and among his gifted company.

Paul Taylor: Creative Domain (82 mins, directed by Kate Geis; executive producer Robert Aberlin; presented by Paul Taylor Dance Company and Resident Artist Films), screens at the Film Society of Lincoln Center starting Sep 11.

Notes on PTDC's 59th Season

Eran Bugge and James Samson in 3 Epitaphs. Photo: Paul B. Goode

Notes on the 2013 Taylor season, in the books, comprising 21 dances in 3 weeks at the Koch Theater, where it apparently far surpassed last year's attendance. The process of collaboration seemed more important than ever, particularly the designs of Alex Katz, lit by Jennifer Tipton.

Strongest impressions:

• Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal): the perfect mix of styles both serious and playful; substance; and technique.
• Lost, Found and Lost: ennui + elevator music, with a vocabulary built on boredom, to brilliant, coma-inducing effect.
• Beloved Renegade (2008): perennially sublime, with crystalline performances by Michael Trusnovec, Laura Halzack, and Amy Young; on my Top 5 PT list.
• 3 Epitaphs: the best Neanderthal dance ever, and casting the 2 most lyrical women (Halzack and Heather McGinley) is hilarious, alongside the quintessentially graceful James Samson, Eran Bugge, and Francisco Graciano.
• Cascade: some simple, sublime moments of tenderness between Trusnovec and Michelle Fleet, as when their outheld arms cross. 
• Promethean Fire: the epitome of high classicism and conveying emotion through form and minimal gesture. Parisa Kobdeh shows her noble, serious side alongside Trusnovec; Samson/Young duet is affecting when they pull powerfully against one another.
• Scudorama: suits, fruit-hued unitards, mysterious blanket monsters, and sanctimony add up to a sort of Cold War, modern dance hyper-Americanism. Sean Mahoney's best role.
• Last Look: if all darkness and edges, an important collaboration in the season, with major contributions by Alex Katz's disco-house-of-horrors designs. Trusnovec's otherworldly fluidity in his Jamie Rae Walker-leaping solo underscores his utter confusion.
• Speaking in Tongues: a terrifying star turn by Trusnovec, who could easily brainwash us if he so desired.

Michael Trusnovec and Laura Halzack in Beloved Renegade. Photo: Paul B. Goode

Premieres:

• Perpetual Dawn: a lovely, romantic, serious work; the Loquasto backdrop and costumes and Tipton lighting are key to the aromatic pastoral quality
• To Make Crops Grow: another strange, memorable entry into Taylor's movement theater canon

Enduring:

• Esplanade: have stronger choreographic bones ever been made?
• Company B: easy to take for granted as it is a constant on NY stages, but perfectly captures that era in American history, and the tension between daily joys and war 
• Junction: quirky, formal, quiet, with musical hijinks
• Musical Offering: an in-depth study of a specific vocabulary, patterning, and musicality
• Brandenburgs: a solid gem with the peculiar equation of 5 women, 3 men

Containing rediscovered gems:

• The Uncommitted: remarkable invention in entrances/exits and fleeting melancholy 
• Offenbach Overtures: another sui generis work within Taylor's oeuvre, high comedy and a distinctive visual scheme by Loquasto/Tipton. Khobdeh hilarious.

Graciano, Khobdeh, and Trusnovec fly in The Uncommitted. Photo: Paul B. Goode

The Company:

• While there is no ranking system within the company, a good deal of emphasis is placed on tenure. "Survival of the fittest" applies here, so the longer you remain (and stay healthy), the more you are cast, and prominently. 
• I've run out of words to praise Trusnovec, the finest interpreter of Taylor since I've been seriously watching the company. 
• Kobdeh is daring, funny, foxy, and deeply dramatic.
• Samson, due to his size, is often typecast, but he makes the most of these paternalistic male roles, imbuing them with a kindness and amplitude, and overturning expectations with his stealthy grace
• On the flip side, Graciano is also typecast in many young roles (in fact, he plays Samson's son on more than one occasion), but can dazzle with verve
• Young, a consistent, lyrical, ideal presence, assumes many of the Amazon or independent women's roles
• McGinley not only has balletic qualities, her natural radiance consistently draws the eye
• When Halzack first joined, it is understandable why Taylor became enamored of her lovely leg extensions; they're almost like a timestamp on his choreography (see Beloved Renegade, The Uncommitted). Her private quality give her an aloofness that is a robust tonic to many of the company's extroverts.
• Eran Bugge, if she were in baseball, could be described as a "five tool player." (A good thing.)
• Michael Novak has a refinement and physique that will serve him well at PTDC.
• George Smallwood, new guy with a long resume, brings winking charm, earthiness, and Broadway chops
• Jamie Rae Walker's adds lightness, lucidity, and precision

The season was another impressive demonstration of the depth and totality of Taylor's output, and the incredible physical and mental capabilities of his company and organization. Onto the 60th.

Katz, York, Tipton, and Taylor—Timeless Collaborators

Lost, Found and Lost. Photo: Paul B. Goode

Katz, York, Tipton, and Taylor. It's not a law firm, but they have defined some reliable rules about making good dances together. I caught some during the second week of Taylor's spring season that runs through March 24. 

Lost, Found and Lost was created in 1982, but its inspiration came from material for Events 1 of 7 New Dances originally done in 1957. What's 25 or 31 years between inspirations when you're Paul Taylor? It's an appealing concept—use non-dance movement such as poses and expressions of ennui, set to elevator music by Donald York—but can it live up to its promise? It far exceeds it, aided in no small part by Alex Katz's swanky, humorously bedazzled black unitards, mesh half-veils, and one colorful shoe for each of the 10 dancers, set crisply against a vacuum of a white, augmented by Jennifer Tipton's vanilla ice cream bath.

Apart from James Samson and Parisa Kobdeh, who are at first situated like energetic poles up and down-centerstage, the dancers stand in contraposto, weight poured into one hip which supports a propped fist. Arms fold, heads droop, posture caves. The dancers walk as if going from the kitchen to the couch, and then lie down like they're watching tv. They bumble and shuffle into a neat line, and you think, aha! He's finally getting to the structured part of the dance! But then they pivot diagonally upstage to stand not just in line but on a line, probably at the DMV from their attitude, peeling off one at a time as York's soaring Muzak medley fills the air. 

Last Look. Photo: Paul B. Goode

Katz, York, and Tipton collaborated with Taylor on another revival performed last week: Last Look, from 1985. Like Lost, Found and Lost, it's another dance that demonstrates the importance of each element. Katz created a forest of mirrors, lit in shades of gloom by Tipton. He dressed the dancers (whom we first see in a big old pile) in louche, disco era, sherbet-hued satins accessorized with rhinestone bracelets and foot jewelry. To York's frenetic score, hey shake, bounce, and careen around, not connecting despite trying. Are they celebrating, or grieving? Michael Trusnovec stares in the mirror, seemingly horrified at what he sees, yet unable to tear himself away despite trying.  

These two 80s dances capture that moment of decadence and debauchery without feeling the least bit dated. Taylor has the gift of making dances that are timeless no matter what era they're depicting. 

Paul Taylor Dance Company—Notebook Review, March 7

James Samson, Michael Trusnovec, and Sean Mahoney in Brandenburgs. Photo: Paul B. Goode

Paul Taylor Dance Company's season is underway at the Koch Theater (through March 24). The March 7 performance featured just two dances on the program rather than the usual three, in front of a packed, whooping and whistling house.

Speaking in Tongues (1988)

• Pentecostal preacher and his flock. Yikes!
• Simply reading the cast list is like reading a short story. 
• The first searing image: Michael Trusnovec (A Man of the Cloth), all in black, in silhouette, standing stock still in a doorway—omniscient, all-powerful, scrutinizing the townsfolk for strays and acolytes, which are sorted in due time. No one can convey as much through stillness as Trusnovec, not to mention his silky, weightless movement. He's like a superhero—Ironman?—who channels all the power in the universe through his gaze and body.
• Lovely duet between James Samson (Himself, as he recollects) and Laura Halzack (His Better Half), who are well-proportioned to be partners; velvety, plush movers full of nobility and ease.
• Amy Young (A Mother) and Jamie Rae Walker (Her Unwanted Daughter) dance several duets that read as touching, until you fully process their characters' names 
• Fine solos by Michelle Fleet (The Daughter Grown Up) and Rob Kleinendorst (Odd Man Out).
• The set—barn siding into which words are carved—looks terrific in the Koch.
• One of Taylor's longest, most dramatic, stand-alone dances.

Brandenburgs

• A perfect example of Taylor's breadth when it follows Speaking in Tongues. Are there more polar opposite works in his repertory?
• Sheer delight in movement and arranging five men and three women in geometrically satisfying ways to Bach's perfectly classical music.
• Michael T. is again the Sun around which all the other dancer-planets revolve. He gets to wear fancy pants—the color of faded moss, with sparkles around the waist—while the others wear regal, dark green velvet bodysuits and dresses.
• (There are now three Michaels—Apuzzo and Novak as well—in the ranks. Clearly if your name is Michael, it increases your odds of becoming a Taylor dancer. Get on that.)
• Parisa Kobdeh is now the go-to dancer for roles with humor, sass, and speed. In Brandenburgs, she dances several times with the men, and wags her shin at us winkingly.
• Eran Bugge has a radiant presence that expands with each performance.
• Amy Young, such a constant, flawless performer, has become a large part of the company's foundation.
• George Smallwood—the newest dancer—looks like he's having a ball.

Ephemeral Chat with James Samson of Paul Taylor Dance Company

In a dozen years with Paul Taylor Dance Company, James Samson has steadily gained a serene confidence in roles that command authority, or that are paternal or magisterial. He has a knack for being completely unselfconscious yet very present. He also has a playful side (Johnny in Company B) and a quicksilver grace that's somewhat unexpected from one of the company's largest dancers. (I was probably not alone when I was surprised to see him do a perfect handstand in Taylor's highly athletic Three Dubious Memories of 2010.) In a company of remarkable dancers, Samson has become a standout. I recently spoke with the Jefferson City, Missouri native. Look for him in 17 of the company's 21-dance repertory in its annual New York season from March 5—24 at the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. 

Ephemeralist: What roles are you looking forward to dancing this season?

James Samson: There are a few roles I’m looking forward to this season. One of them is Last Look. It hasn’t been done for a few years, and we’re bringing it back. It’s a role that I can really sink my teeth into, and it’s always different every night, depending on the way I approach it, feel about it... it’s really down and dirty and it brings out a different side of myself, and a different character than what a lot of other pieces of Paul’s require. It’s really fantastic.

Another one is Speaking in Tongues, which we did a couple years ago, and I have a wonderful duet with Laura Halzack, that I really enjoy. it’s another piece that is definitely character-based, and it’s so deep... it’s something you have to look at and view a few times to really get everything. I feel like you could watch it over and over and you could always find something new. But it’s a great role. I’ve always had a lot of fun doing this new part. I’m considered the younger self of Michael Trusnovec, who’s the Preacher. So I get to do this duet as Michael’s younger self with Laura, which is beautiful and fun. I have a great time working with her.

E: I have a list of the dances you’re in, and it’s pretty extensive. 

JS: There are a few.

E: Seems like Last Look is really a favorite among the dancers.

JS: Yeah, it really is. I think everybody has a great role. It’s so different than anything else, and that we can indulge ourselves in in a different way... bring out the mean and the ugly in ourselves, throw our bodies around. It’s such a physical piece and that’s why we love to be dancers in Paul’s work. A lot of his pieces get really physical like this, and it’s so demanding, and at the same time, when you’re done, it’s such a huge reward. The audience usually loves it. The set is quite amazing—I think there are about six mirrors set up—and we see ourselves onstage. We see kind of the ugly parts of ourselves—something that’s more vulnerable, something we don’t really like about ourselves—and that is what kind of creates our movement and our motivation for becoming the characters that we are.

E: Maybe I’m generalizing, but it does seem like you do get cast in a lot of “good guy” roles.

JS: Well, I have that all-American look, so I guess it kind of goes hand in hand! [laughs]

Heather McGinley, James Samson, Rob Kleinendorst, Jamie Rae Walker, and Francisco Graziano
in To Make Crops Grow. Photo: Jamie Young

E: Obviously you’re very graceful, but you do share a kind of groundedness, a muscularity, with, for example, Paul himself... have you ever talked about this with Paul?

JS: He hasn’t really discussed it with me on a one-on-one basis... he does generalize that kind of feeling and emotion to the company in general when we’re not really doing it the way he wants in certain dances. But being grounded is a huge staple in Paul’s work; being down on the beat instead of being up, so many times in his choreography. And I guess it’s kind of the natural way I move as well, and just seeing Paul himself dance in videos earlier in his career, where you can really see how grounded... he’s the most fluid dancer I’ve ever seen on video. His style of moving is something that I try to encapsulate, but of course no one will ever live up to it, or be like Paul Taylor. That’s very far fetched. But he’s such an inspiration. But being a bigger person, it’s easier to be grounded.

I just see how he moves, and make it my own. I definitely try to be fluid; it’s something I’ve always worked on. It’ll never be something that I stop trying to approach; it's a style of moving that I really love. Being the size that I am, it’s kind of that juxtaposition of muscularity, but also trying to find the smoothness in everything. That’s an aspect I like to bring out onstage—something that people don’t quite expect. It is a natural thing. People move their own natural way, and that’s kind of the way I do it and approach it.

E: You’re now one of the company elders!

JS: Yes! I just celebrated my 12th year! Happy Valentine’s day!

E: How has your role and approach within the company shifted with time?

JS: The more senior you get, Paul likes to challenge you a bit more and put you in those bigger roles. He really has that respect for his elder dancers; he keeps them in mind, keeps challenging them. And putting them in roles that feature them because that’s his loyalty. He has a huge loyalty to his dancers, and treating them well that way.

My approach does continue to manifest every year. I always try to approach the same dance in a different way every time I do it. Over the years... when you first get into Paul Taylor, you’re so excited, and you have so much energy... it’s full out, like 150% all the time. So over the years I’ve learned to take that down; I still do everything to its full potential, but you have to find the finesse in things, and just let your body speak and kind of take over the movement. You don’t have to really push as hard, but you still have to do everything to its full potential. 

Francisco Graziano and James Samson in Changes. Photo: Tom Caravaglia

I just try to find what tries to go with the fluidity, that we mentioned earlier; I try to find the ease in Paul’s movement. Each dance is so different from one another, so I try and find a different personality and a different way of doing each piece. As I get older in the company, I have to find new ways of taking care of my body. I’m quite into yoga these days; everything gets stretched out and I try not to get too tight, because the season is very aerobic and hard and challenging... so I try and find some peace outside of all of that and bring it all together and let my body relax. So the approach kind of changes a little every year.

E: I’ve been watching you since you joined the company, and it’s been really neat to see how you’ve evolved within the rep, and each year you get bigger, more prominent roles. It’s been really great to see you seize on them and make them your own.

JS: Thank you so much, I appreciate that.

James in Company B, surrounded by a bevy... Photo: Paul B. Goode

E: Are there any roles in the rep that you haven’t dance but would like to?

JS: There’s quite a few [laughs]. They’re all roles that I really admire that are done by, like, Michael Trusnovec and senior dancers in the company. I’m not sure I’ll ever be given that chance; we’ll see what happens in the future. We’ll see who’s around, and what roles are exchanged and given up to other dancers later on.

But there’s a lot of things I’d love to do, just to do something new. I’ve always loved the opening of The Word that was created by Andrew Lebeau. I think that would be an amazing task to take on and try. Esplanade is one of my favorite dances, and I did Michael's and Rob Kleinendorst’s role that they share right now. When I was in my second year, I did that for about a year, and that was always a great role to do, and it might be fun to try that role again, now that I’’m more experienced.

E: Have you done Aureole, the solo?

JS: Oh Aureole, thanks for bringing that up. I’d love to try Paul’s part in Aureole. I think that would be really great because you become very vulnerable onstage; you’re by yourself. I don’t really have a lot of roles in the company where I’m onstage by myself for a long period of time. And I think that part would be a challenge for me because of that vulnerability; you have to have a lot of confidence going into that role, and it’s not a lot of fast movement, it’s very slow and articulate, and I think it would be a really nice challenge, and something to work on and strive for. So we’ll see what happens with that.

James Samson in Orbs. Photo: Paul B. Goode

Probably one of the biggest parts I’ve had is Paul’s part in Orbs, which I did last year. There’s a huge solo in that piece where I’m onstage quite a bit and I dance my butt off. It’s probably one of the hardest roles I’ve every done. That was a great challenge. Paul’s roles in general; everything that he’s done in the past, they're something that people kind of strive to do. When you take it on, it’s something that you want to make him proud of, and kind of approach in your own way, but fulfill it in a way that he expects it to be fulfilled.

E: How do you feel about moving to Lincoln Center?

JS: I’m so excited. We were there for the first time last year, and I was so hoping we’d go back, and we are there again this year. I love the area, I really love the theater... for a few reasons. All the dancers are on the same floor, whereas at City Center, we were all divided amongst four floors. So we’re all united on one floor; it’s very easy to get to the stage. And it’s such a high profile area. 

There are big posters on the side of the building, and it’s like being in Paul’s company is like the top of the top in modern dance, and being at Lincoln Center is the top of the world for us, as far as a performance venue. It’s just a great feeling. You feel like you’re a huge star being there! I’m so glad that we get a chance to show Paul’s work in a space that’s accessible to so many more people, and can bring in an audience that hasn’t seen Paul Taylor before, and keep them coming, and bring friends and family. I hope we continue to stay there. It’s a really great feeling and I feel very safe there. The staff is really fantastic. I just really love it.