AMBER MATTICE
Reverb Editor
From the ceiling to the floor, there are massive windows that look out over various parts of campus. The sun is setting. The room is full of natural light, and on the right side of the room, members of the Fredonia Dance Ensemble (FDE) are stretching before their performance.
The Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company is currently in a two week residency here in Fredonia. They are setting their piece “Aureole,” a five member, double cast dance, on the students of FDE. They have also been guest teaching technique classes and attending all rehearsals for “Aureole” to help the dancers learn the choreography, as well as the Paul Taylor technique.
“His technique is based off of Martha Graham. Paul was actually a student of Martha Graham’s, and [she] deals with a lot of contraction and release,” said Molly Carriero, a senior BFA dance major and rehearsal assistant for “Aureole.” “It is very athletic and deals a lot with focusing the energy through your limbs.”
On Friday, Sept. 2, members of FDE were practicing “Aureole” in intervals and were followed by two dances by the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company and a brief Q&A session.
The performances were free and open to whomever wanted to attend. A reception hosted by the Student Dance Organization followed, as well as a screening of the newest Paul Taylor documentary.
This event was the first to be held in the Merrins Dance Theatre in the new addition to the Rockefeller Arts Center, and students were excited to use the new studios.
“They’re absolutely gorgeous,” said Chris Victor, a senior double major in BFA dance and audio/radio production.“Just looking out [from] the Merrins Theatre during rehearsals, there was this gorgeous sunset. To have all of this open space to dance and move around, as opposed to one studio, is so nice.”
The dances emphasized natural movement and the use of weight and technique to mimic movements in nature. FDE dancers were being directed as they performed so the audience could really sense how hard they have been working.
Once it was time for the Paul Taylor group to perform, the students in the room were watching so intently and were obviously thankful to have such an opportunity.
“I think it’s very important for dancers to learn any style that they can. Even if it gets you out of your comfort zone, it’s a way to make you a more well-rounded dancer,” said senior double major in BFA dance and public relations Nicole Miller, “and what’s so cool about Paul Taylor 2 coming here is that they are a real company, and they are people who are basically our peers, entering the real world, doing what we want to do. It’s a very insightful experience.”
It was said multiple times throughout the demonstration that the Paul Taylor technique is all about telling a story through the dancer’s eyes and movements. Paul Taylor’s dances incorporate many different styles of dance and all express some kind of emotion or experience.
“The more that you can be involved in or exposed to during your training time, the bigger tool box that you’ll have to draw from when you graduate,” said Paula Peters, who recently joined the faculty at Fredonia as an assistant director of dance.
The students will continue to work with the company and each other to perfect the dance and technique.
FDE and the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company will be performing again, with new pieces, on Friday, Sept. 9 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Merrins Dance Theatre.