Taylor-ed Moves

“We will perform the pieces Arden Court,Runes and Esplanade,” says Ruth Andrien,rehearsal director of Taylor 2. Taylor’s works are marked by resplendent gestures that are simple but powerfully evocative. Esplanade,his first choreographed piece after he stopped dancing on stage,is based on such minimalist movements. Set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach,Esplanade is a comment on dysfunctional families,in which one member always feels isolated. Runes explores the spells that existed in the secret civilisation that was populated by the Druids. “They believed in re-incarnation and could foretell the future through natural sounds,” explains Andrien.

Arden Court,on the other hand,expresses the relationship between man and woman. “The piece culminates in a series of romantic duets,” she adds.

The troupe,that is on a three- week-long,five-city tour of India,comprises Justin Kahan,Christina Lynch Markham,Madelyn Ho,Alana Allende,Hank Bamberger,Manuel Sanchez and Elizabeth Bragg. On Thursday,they conducted a dance workshop at Ashley Lobo’s Danceworx Academy in Patel Nagar. Dressed in leotards,tights,leg-warmers and jazz shoes,the six of them shared the ethos of American dance with the Indian dancers.

“In the 1950s,modern dance was not accepted by American culture. It was the time when opera,ballet and theatre ruled. Dancers like Taylor challenged these classical idioms and broke free. We see a lot of similarity with the modern dance scenario in India now,” says Andrien.

Taylor still choreographs two dances a year. But travelling has all but stopped. “He lives by himself in Long Island,conceptualising his pieces,” says Andrien. Taylor 2 performs at Siri Fort today. Time: 7 pm. Contact: 26493370