Lucas: Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company to wow audiences on Hilton Head Saturday
A dance company founded by arguably one of the world's leading visionaries of modern dance will be coming to Hilton Head Island this week.
The Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company, with its tremendous athleticism and trademark innovative style often described as "fearless," will make a one-night appearance at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina Saturday.
A member of the Martha Graham Dance Company during the 1950s, Paul Taylor assembled his first group of dancers in 1954.
For the next 60 years, the prolific choreographer created works that astonished audiences and dared to take on such themes as war, religious hypocrisy and sexuality.
Known for their musicality, his signature pieces are set to such wide-ranging scores as medieval masses to 1960s-era folk music.
In 2014, Taylor revamped the longstanding company to include a wider focus on modern dance.
With more than 140 pieces to his name, Taylor has influenced generations of dancers and continues to shape modern American dance through his company of tight-knit artists and staff members.
That cohesiveness, which can be seen both on and off the stage, is something that continues to be the hallmark of the troupe, said the company's rehearsal director Ruth Andrien by phone recently.
"It's really more of a family-oriented style," she said, adding that the idea of "connectedness" was something that could be seen not only between dancers as they interacted on stage but with the stage and the music as well.
"There's a sense of shape, a sense of the lines and of how the body works," she said, when asked to describe the company's trademark style. "He (Taylor) likes physical people and dancers who can really move in the space."
Taylor, now 86, continues to have a hands-on role in all aspects of the company from choreography and creating new pieces to selecting the company's dancers, Andrien said.
"He chooses dancers who have a particular talent as their style," said Andrien, who started with the company in the '70s as a dancer herself. "Not just in terms of being a beautiful dancer, but his feeling about them as a dancer."
In addition to Saturday's upcoming performance, the company will offer a master class to dancers who wish to experience the "Paul Taylor style" described by Andrien as "joyous and physical."
And dancers without any previous modern dance experience are encouraged to attend, she said.
"Just come and get ready to enjoy a movement experience."
If You Go
The Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company performs at 8 p.m. Jan. 16, at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island.
The performance will feature three of Paul Taylor's signature pieces "Cascade," "Ruins" and "Company B."
In addition, a master class is at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15. To find out more, call 843-686-3945, ext. 205.
Tickets for the Jan. 16 performance are $60.
For details call 843-842-2787 or visit www.artshhi.com.
Follow reporter Mindy Lucas on Twitter at twitter.com/MindyatIPBG.
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This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Lucas: Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company to wow audiences on Hilton Head Saturday."