Paul Taylor. (Photograph by Bob Cato; from the Dance Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.)

Modern dance choreographer Paul Taylor (1930- ) made his debut in 1950 at Syracuse University and created his first choreography—Hobo Ballet—for fellow students. During the 1950s, he trained at the Juilliard School and performed in works by Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine. Combining appearances on concert and commercial stages and television, Taylor evolved a quirky personal technique to express his pluralistic aesthetic. Gems among his choreography cannot be categorized, but explore diverse aspects of humor, lyricism, doom, and ritual. Among Taylor's masterworks are Three Epitaphs, Aureole, Scudorama, From Sea to Shining Sea, Esplanade, Cloven Kingdom, Airs, Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal), Mercuric Tidings, Last Look, Musical Offering, Speaking in Tongues, and Company B. Frequent collaborators have included painters Robert Rauschenberg and Alex Katz and composer Donald York. Taylor formed his own ensemble in 1954 and established Taylor 2 in 1993. His autobiography Private Domain was published in 1987. Elected to French knighthood in 1969, Taylor has received more than forty awards, including America's National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors, as well as an Emmy for WNET/New York's production of Speaking in Tongues. www.ptdc.org

Paul Taylor in Aureole at Jacob's Pillow, 1964. Photo by John Lindquist. Courtesy of the Harvard Theatre Collection, copyright owner.