May 6-May 26, 2013

Dates: May 6-26, 2013
Locations: Varied, see list of events below

This performance residency by Paul Taylor Dance Company is made possible through generous support from NY State Council on the Arts and Friends of the Orpheum (FOTO). MetLife Foundation is proud to sponsor the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s 2012 – 2013 National Tour.

Photo: Eran Bugge and Robert Kleinendorst in Esplanade. Photo by Paul B. Goode

The inaugural Orpheum Dance Festival in 2013 is proud to host the residency of the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company (Taylor 2), the outreach and education wing of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center for three weeks in May. The festival’s centerpiece is a performance by the world renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company on May 22 which launches the Orpheum Dance Festival Live Music for Dance Initiative and features repertoire specially selected by choreographer and dancer Paul Taylor to be performed for the first time with a Baroque orchestra of period instruments, with live music accompaniment provided by the distinguished orchestra American Virtuosi, conducted by harpsichordist Kenneth Hamrick.

Experience the splendid acoustics and the intimacy of the Orpheum Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art music and dance venue, during this exciting launch of the Orpheum Dance Festival.

Performances

Highlights of the residency include two evenings of dance performances accompanied by live music. On May 11 at 7:00 p.m. Taylor 2 will perform Airs (1978, music by G.F. Handel), Junction (1961, music by Johann Sebastian Bach), Lento Duet (1967, music by Franz Josef Haydn), and Taylor’s renowned Esplanade (1975, music by Johann Sebastian Bach). On May 22 at 7:00 p.m., the Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform Kith and Kin (1987, music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Scudorama (1963, music by Clarence Jackson), and Brandenburgs (1988, music by Johann Sebastian Bach).

On May 25 at 7:00 p.m., Taylor 2 will perform once again, this time with participation by dance students who have studied with Taylor 2 dancers during the residency. The students will demonstrate examples of Paul Taylor choreography that they have learned.

Paul Taylor Dance Company Spring Dance Intensive May 11 – 26

Taylor 2 will lead a two week dance intensive for young dance professionals. The Spring Dance Intensive provides young professionals the opportunity to hone their skills and showcase their talents. Student dancers will have the opportunity to perform side by side with Taylor 2 dancers on the stage of the Orpheum Performing Arts Center on May 25 at 7:00pm. For more information on how to apply and participate in the Young Professionals Dance Program, CLICK HERE. 

Taylor 2 will be working with students of the Orpheum Academy of Dance and will be providing lecture/demonstrations at a number of regional schools in Greene, Ulster and Delaware Counties throughout the residency.

Piano Performance Museum Concerts & Conversations

On May 18 at 2:00 p.m., the Concerts and Conversations series at the Piano Performance Museum hosts Taylor 2 dancers led by Rehearsal Director Ruth Andrien to discuss and perform examples of the “Musical-Choreographic Language of Paul Taylor.” Artistic Director Kenneth Hamrick will provide accompaniment on historic instruments from the world class collection of period playable pianos, ranging from the 18th century to the present.

Local and distant landscapes by three women artists

Dates: May 11-June 16, 2013
Art Talk: Saturday, May 18, 2013, 1-2 pm
Location: Kaaterskill Fine Arts Gallery, Hunter Village Square, 7950 Main Street, Village of Hunter
Gallery Hours: Monday & Thursday, 12-4 pm; Friday & Saturday, 10 am-5 pm; Sunday 10 am-4 pm (and by appointment)
More Information: 518 263 2060

The new exhibit at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Kaaterskill Fine Arts Gallery in Hunter New York, titled “Here and There: Local and Distant Landscapes by Three Women Artists,” runs from May 11 to June 16 with an opening reception on Saturday May 11 from 4-6 pm. There will be an Art Talk by the artists on Saturday May 18 from 1 to 2 pm.

This visually compelling show portrays three individual and different visual insights from local artists Olive Farrell, Mara Lehmann and Sheila Trautman. The three veteran artists share personal portraits of their Mountaintop backyards intermingled with scenes of the distant lands that have inspired them in their world travels.

Olive Farrell, from East Durham, approaches her landscapes with a robust use of vibrant color notes dashed on with strong strokes in almost tactile relief. Farrell’s strong and emphatic use of tonal variations pulls the viewer in at once where one finds that her rendering technique, while direct, is far from simple. Her shadows are cloaked in the many shades of nature’s violets. Her sunlights are emphatic depictions of light first, with local color following as needed and with sometimes even peripheral considerations. Ms. Farrell, born in Ireland, charges the Gaelic love of land into every brushstroke.

In contrast, Mara Lehmann from Haines Falls, quietly invites viewers to share her tranquil contemplations of landscapes here and abroad with an artistic generosity matching her panoramic and sometimes monumental homage to nature. Her skillful and muted tones are luxuriant in subtlety and richly rendered, imbuing her paintings with a profound sense of peace. Ms. Lehmann’s paintings exude in one breath the commingling of inspiration and serenity.

Sheila Trautman’s considerable skill and spontaneity as a watercolorist reflects the light, color, texture and mood of the sense of place she envisions throughout the ever-changing landscapes surrounding her. Be it mountains, villages or cityscapes, she lets the colors of the scenes mix freely within her inner vision which resonates on the paper before her, allowing the colors to speak for themselves. Ms. Trautman’s watercolors reflect the fundamental spirit and essence of the landscape here and abroad.

Dates: May 11, 2013 through May 26, 2013
Requirement: Intermediate to advanced level of dance training in ballet and/or modern dance.
Tuition & Fees
Registration Fee: $40 (non-refundable, will be applied to the tuition)
Late Registration (After April 1): $2,000
For questions, email PT2residency@catskillmtn.org or call Pam Weisberg at 518 263 2066

To Apply:

1. Download the application HERE (PDF)
2. Fill out the application
3. Download the teacher evaluation form HERE (PDF) and have your teacher complete.
3. E-mail the application and teacher evaluation form to PT2residency@catskillmtn.org
4. Pay the Registration Fee (No applications can be considered until the Registration Fee is paid)

For young professionals and students of the dance, this is an opportunity to study with the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company in a beautiful, tranquil setting in the Northern Catskill Mountains, only 2 ½ hours north of New York City.

For nearly three decades, The Taylor School has been a premier training ground for modern dance technique and the best place on earth to study Taylor style and repertoire. With Taylor dances now in the repertoire of many dance companies around the world, it is vital for dancers seeking a place in today's dance world to know Taylor style. The Taylor Intensives have achieved distinction by virtue of outstanding faculty members and the exceptional personal attention given to each student. This Intensive will introduce dancers to Taylor style through daily technique and repertoire classes with Paul Taylor 2 dancers.  Students will also have the opportunity to hear lectures on the history of Paul Taylor and his Company.

The residency with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and Taylor 2 is hosted by the Catskill Mountain Foundation, located in the villages of Hunter, Tannersville, and Maplecrest in the Great Northern Catskill Mountains.  The area is known as the land of falling waters and little rivers, high mountain valleys and tall peaks.   Home to America’s first School of Art and Literature, the region continues to inspire artists through its unspoiled natural beauty and mountain serenity.  The Spring Dance Intensive is centered in the village of Tannersville, known as “The Painted Village”.  Classes and performances take place at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Orpheum Performing Arts Center, a new, 250-seat theatre designed by theatre architect Hugh Hardy with a state-of-the-art dance stage.   The acoustically superb Weisberg Performance Hall in the Doctorow Center for the Arts, located in the village of Hunter, will also be used for dance classes.  A third studio, the Red Barn Dance Studio, includes large palladium windows overlooking a beautiful mountain scene.  Housing is at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Sherwood House in the nearby village of Maplecrest and in the Guest Houses in the Village of Hunter. The Sherwood House has double occupancy bedrooms.  Each room is newly furnished and the entire building has internet WIFI access.  There are two large, comfortably furnished common areas (one with widescreen TV), a common kitchen area, and a working area equipped with PC’s and a printer.  The Guest Houses provide double or single occupancy accommodations in a charming house setting within walking distance to the Doctorow Center for the Arts.

Schedule of Festival Events

All festival events are included in student tuition fees and are open to the public.  Some public events are free and some require an admission fee.

Performances

Performance by Taylor 2 Dance: Saturday, May 11, 7:00pm (CLICK HERE for more information)

Performance by Paul Taylor Dance Main Company: Wednesday, May 22, 7:00pm (CLICK HERE for more information)

Performance by Residency Young Students and Young Professionals: Saturday, May 25, 7:00pm at the Orpheum Performing Arts Center, 6050 Main Street, Village of Tannersville (CLICK HERE for directions)

In addition to the above scheduled performances, Taylor 2 will perform during the week for school audiences.

Concerts and Conversations

Lecture/film screening: Ruth Andrian, Taylor 2 Dance, interviewed by Kenneth Hamrick, Artistic Director, Piano Performance Museum, Sunday, May 18, 2 pm
Location: Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Main Street, Village of Hunter (CLICK HERE for directions)

Dance Films

Dancemaker, the Academy Award nominated documentary about Mr. Taylor and the Taylor Company as well as films on other contemporary choreographers and dance companies.   “Ballet in Cinema”, from Emerging Pictures.  High definition films of dance performances from the major European Theatres’ 2012-2013 Season.  Films shown at the CMF in 2012 included “Swan Lake” from the Royal Ballet, “Romeo and Juliet” from the Bolshoi Ballet and “Move to Move” from the Nederlands Dans Theatre.  The films will be accompanied by talks by noted dance experts.

Open Rehearsals and Open Master Classes

The public is cordially invited to attend open rehearsals and open master classes at the Oprheum Performing Arts Center and Doctorow Center for the Arts during the residency.  A schedule will be posted closer to the residency period.