PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN (Kate Geis). 86 minutes. Opens Friday (December 11). See listings. Rating: NNNN
Contemporary dance lovers will eat up this fly-on-the-wall look at the creation of a new piece by one of the legends of the field.
Director Kate Geis takes us through each step of the process, from casting and working out dance ideas to costume fittings, dress rehearsal and opening night. It’s all pretty stress-free. Taylor, in his 80s but as spry, lively and prolific as ever, has done this for decades. He knows what works.
A glimpse into his tidy notebooks shows how carefully he plans things, but he’s also open to off-the-cuff -changes. While Geis doesn’t delve into Taylor’s history – there’s nothing about working with Martha Graham, for instance – we do get the choreographer’s sly confession that he’s stolen a bit of movement from Anthony Tudor and often gets ideas from football halftime shows.
The final third is devoted to the piece itself, a fascinating take on Rashomon. As one of his charismatic dancers puts it, Taylor’s personality and obsessions are all there in his work.
