2 Ways to Enjoy Paul Taylor Dance Company in Westchester

Its home may be at Lincoln Center, but one doesn’t need to leave Westchester County to see Paul Taylor Dance Company (PTDC). The modern dance company, one of the most esteemed in America, will perform in the County twice in the coming months – presented once by RiverArts and Tarrytown Music Hall on September 28, and again by Performing Arts Center at Purchase College on February 14.

PTDC is the artistic brainchild of choreographer Paul Taylor, who until his death in 2018 helped to define the dance form. Even since his death in 2018, he continues to influence a new generation of choreographers.

Fans of PTDC will delight in the fact that both programs are almost entirely different from one another, resulting in the opportunity to see five unique numbers from the company. All dances from both events are from Taylor’s canon. Both programs will include Esplanade, arguably Taylor’s most famous dance, which is built almost entirely from “pedestrian movements” like running, walking, skipping and rolling to the music of two of Johann Sebastian Bach’s violin concertos.

2 Ways to See Paul Taylor Dance Company

September 28

Guests can experience Paul Taylor Dance Company on an iconic Westchester stage this month when the company brings its creative athleticism to Tarrytown Music Hall. In addition to Esplanade, the program includes two dances:

• Aureole, set to the Baroque music of George Frideric Handel, was one of Taylor’s first big successes of many first performed in 1962.

• Dust, first performed in 1977, centers around pain and struggle and brings movement to Frances Poulenc’s Concerti Champetre.

February 14

Paul Taylor Dance Company sets the scene for a romantic Valentine’s Day evening with an up-close-and-personal performance in the Performing Art Center’s concert hall. Along with Esplanade, the night consists of two dances:  

• Offenbach Overtures, a lighthearted dance performed to the music of Jacques Offenbach, has twists and turns that often leave the audience in laughter.

• Company B is a dance choreographed to songs sung by the Andrews Sisters, such as Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B).  This energetic piece captures the juxtaposition between a country in high spirits and a looming realization that WWII and resulting deaths are imminent.

Paul Taylor Dance Company, established in 1966, reinvented the world of modern dance. Now those in Westchester can take their pick on when to see them perform the world-renowned choreography of its founder.

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^{Photos: Lisa Borres with Jake Vincent, Kristin Draucker, Alex Clayton, Christina Lynch Markham, Lee Duveneck, and Jessica Ferretti in Esplanade (photo credit: Whitney Browne / courtesy of Performing Arts Center); Mercuric Tidings by Paul Taylor (photo credit: Roberto Ricci / courtesy of RiverArts)}