Profile of an American Icon: A Few Words With Paul Taylor

Photo by Tom Caravaglia

I feel very honored that Mr. Taylor took the time to answer a few questions about his life and work in an email interview. Paul Taylor is one of the most prominent and influential choreographers of our time. Yet, in the late 1940′s he was studying painting and swimming on scholarship at Syracuse University when amidst a series of seemingly unrelated dance experiences he was struck by a revelation or, as he describes it in his autobiography Private Domain a “flash of recognition… an unignorable hunch” that he was to become a dancer.

First of All — A Chat with Prix de Lausanne Winner Emanuel Amuchastegui

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At the Prix de Lausanne, he performed a classical variation from August Bournonville’s La Sylphide and a contemporary solo, Caliban, from Cathy Marston’s The Tempest. In addition to winning PDL’s top prize, Amuchasetgui also brought home the “Audience Favorite” award. In the wake of his win, Amachastegui was kind enough to answer a few questions about his experience at the prestigious competition, his training, and his life outside of dance.

Sweet Exchange with a Sugar Plum Fairy

Ballet: The Nutcracker; Choreographer: Ben Stevenson; Dancer(s): Katharine Precourt & Linnar Looris; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

Performing at such a young age in a huge theater with professional dancers helped to start my love of performing, as well as making me more comfortable on stage early on in my training. Also, it was after participating in those two summer programs in Houston that I realized I wanted to pursue dance professionally.

Gracing the Stage — My Interview with Houston Ballet’s Joseph Walsh

Joe Walsh in rehearsal // Photo:  Amitava Sarkar

I do a bit of writing and reviewing in Houston and it has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to interview some of the area’s finest dance talent. I don’t always cross-post my stuff here but when I get to talk with someone about their training and experiences, I like to share that with [...]

Dance Company Twitter Parade

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Connecting you to a fistful of professional dance companies who are tweeting. New dance organizations (and dance people in general) are popping up daily.

Way More Than Dance: Anaheim Ballet on YouTube

While many organizations focus solely on the performance, Anaheim Ballet has been prolifically creating video podcasts which feature way more than dance. t’s relevant, it’s entertaining, and it’s smart!

A Young Man That Dances — Exclusive Interview with Garrett Smith, Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy and HB II Graduate

Garrett Smith; photo by Trent Nelson

“I knew what I was doing with my life, unlike the boys who called me names. The teasing made me work harder to prove them wrong and to be successful. When I went to Europe at age 13, I realized that they were so wrong because I was having so much fun dancing.”

TenduTV Delivers Concert Dance on Demand

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TenduTV, a broadband television channel that is delivering live concert dance, documentaries, and dance for camera works to an ever-widening audience.

Isadora Duncan: Mother of Modern Dance

An innovator ahead of her time, Isadora’s natural and free dance liberated the dance formula and paved the way for the development and acceptance of the modern dance art form.

Heidi Latsky “Dives Into the Heart of Difference”

Seeing this excerpt brought back these experiences and piqued my curiosity about the participation of those with physical and/or intellectual challenges in dance classes and studios elsewhere. What are your experiences in reaching out to this community or population of students at your school?

Houston Ballet’s Got The Nutcracker Covered

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Where many established versions have failed in making these scenes come alive for a contemporary audience, Stevenson’s take on the familiar scenario offers an engaging and action-packed opening that resonates, in particular, with families who’ve come to see the show.

REVIEW: Jonah Bokaer’s The Invention of Minus One at DiverseWorks

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Dear Readers, I don’t often write reviews for this blog. However, I’ve worked hard on this one and would like to share the details of this interesting performance with you! The Texas air was, for a change, a bit chilly. Groups of people stood together on a long, industrial loading platform. Those who had remembered [...]