Cultural Catchup: Sunday in the Park with George

In addition to two performances of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, I saw Sunday in the Park with George at Studio 54 with Erika on Wednesday night. I put Sondheim to the test in this show, having loved Company, but not being taken by Sweeney Todd. Sondheim emerged victorious. The premise is George Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte as the premise. The characters are the people in the park. The set was white walls on which they projected parts of the painting. It was brilliant.

Back in the Big Apple: Paul Taylor (x2)

I was in New York last week and played a little cultural catchup. The focal point of the New York trip was a Sunday matinee of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Ever since I saw the performance schedule back in September, I knew I had to see Piazzolla Caldera on March 2. It was just as amazing as the first time (though not as surprising). That afternoon we (Andrew, Michelle, Evan, and I) also saw Equinox and Fiends Angelical. Both were spectacular and so different from Piazzolla.

When I met Parisa and Eran in Shenzhen in November, I had breakfast with the company at the hotel one morning. They all raved about Promethean Fire and said I had to see it, so when I saw they were performing that during my visit, I arranged to make a second visit to City Center with Meghan on Feb 29. That night I saw Aureole, Troilus and Cressida, and Counterswarm in addition to Promethean Fire. Definitely worth it. I was a little tired, so I'd like to see it again when I'm in better form.

I really love seeing these friends and their fellow dancers perform. Both the men and women are so strong, graceful, and athletic. Piazzolla is still my favorite, but each and every piece blows me away. You can see a clip of Piazzolla from Dancemaker film on the Paul Taylor website.