Great Performances

Paul Taylor Dance Company In Paris

Paul Taylor is the last living member of the pantheon that created America's indigenous art of modern dance. At an age when most artists' best work is behind them, Taylor continues to win acclaim for the vibrancy, relevance and power of his recent dances as well as his classics. Recorded during the Taylor Company's 2012 performances at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris, GREAT PERFORMANCES presents two of Taylor's enduring masterworks. Brandenburgs, first performed in 1988 to music from Bach's Brandenburg concertos #3 and # 6; and his 2008 ballet Beloved Renegade set to music of Francis Poulenc. Set to Poulenc's "Gloria," Beloved Renegade is inspired by the life and work of poet Walt Whitman, and depicts the experiences of an artist described in a line from Whitman's Leaves of Grass: "I am the poet of the body and I am the poet of the soul." The dance unfolds with various scenes reminiscent of episodes in Whitman's life.