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WHEREAS, born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on July 29, 1930, Paul Belville Taylor, Jr. went on to leave a remarkable legacy as one of the nation's foremost modern dance artists known for his innovative, sardonic, and avant-garde choreography; and,
WHEREAS, Paul earned a Bachelor's Degree in dance from the Julliard School under the direction of legendary dance instructor Martha Hill and other world-renowned teachers; and,
WHEREAS, in his 20s, Paul performed in the work of master choreographers Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine and created 18 of his own dances throughout the 1950s; and,
WHEREAS, in 1954, he founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company and went on to choreograph several famous works, including Three Epitaphs (1956), Duet (1957), Aureole (1962), Orbs (1966), The Book of Beasts (1971), Esplanade and Runes (1975), Nightshade (1979) and many more, usually utilizing a troupe of 13 dancers; and,
WHEREAS, the Paul Taylor Dance Company first performed in Europe in 1960 and toured across South America in 1965 through a cultural exchange program with the United States Department of State. Paul's work was also featured on United States public television and the subject of numerous documentary films and biographical work; and,
WHEREAS, Paul and his Dance Company have won numerous awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961, MacArthur Fellowship in 1985, Kennedy Center Honors and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 1992, and the Bessie Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012; and,
WHEREAS, at age 87, Paul produced his final work Concertiana, which premiered at Lincoln Center in 2018. Paul passed away in August 2018 at the age of 88; and,
WHEREAS, Paul's legacy lives on through the work of some of the dancers and choreographers who emerged from his company, the Paul Taylor School and the Paul Taylor Dance Company, both of which continue to operate, and the indelible mark he left on the world of dance and performing art...
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