Private Domain: An Autobiography - Softcover

Taylor, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0822956993 ISBN 13: 9780822956990

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1999

Synopsis

Taylor explores aspects of himself that have affected his work. He delves into the creation of Aureole and From Sea to Shining Sea, from their initial inception to the ways in which specific dancers influenced the choreography, including such notables as Pina Bausch, Laura Dean, David Parsons, Twyla Tharp, Dan Wagoner, Senta Driver—all of whom went on to form their own companies—and others—Bettie de Jong, Nicholas Gunn, and Carolyn Adams—who remained as much a part of the Taylor style as the choreography itself. Taylor writes with sincerity, wit, and charm of his associations with Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Jerome Robbins, Anthony Tudor, George Balanchine, and many others.

About this title

About the Author:

Taylor has been a dominant force in dance for four decades, acclaimed by critics as the world's greatest living choreographer.

From Publishers Weekly:

Knowing that their career days and minutes on stage are numbered, dancers should live moment to moment. Heeding his own advice, Taylor writes his autobiography in the present tense. Explaining the longevity of his well-known dance troupe as a mixture of luck and hard work, he recreates his early struggling years when often he couldn't afford to buy food. He describes in depth his work with Merce Cunningham, Pearl Lang, George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp and others in a footloose career that took him from Burma to Mexico. Dance, for Taylor, is above all a means of communicating, whether a performer shares private dreams or mimics daily gestures. This lyrical autobiography conveys the joys and frustrations of a life in dance, culminating in Taylor's wrenching decision to abandon performance for choreography when his body failed him. Photos.
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About this edition

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0822956993
• ISBN 13: 9780822956990
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 406