This fall, in preparation for its New York Season at Lincoln Center, the Paul Taylor Dance Company is partnering with the Police Athletic League (PAL).
The partnership is for its Polaris Project Outreach Initiative to offer five creative workshops, culminating in an open house community performance, held at PAL’s Harlem Center on November 4th, 2023. Teens from PAL centers throughout New York City will participate in the workshops with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, exploring dance appreciation and diversity in the roots of dance.
The multi-faceted workshops, which take place in the Dance Studio at PAL’s Harlem Center, will introduce participants to Paul Taylor’s dances through the lens of all the arts. The students will learn phrases from the Taylor repertory, experiment with set and costume design, explore rhythms with percussion instruments, and create their own dances based on the theme: “Who am I? Where do I come from? and Where am I going?” Taylor alumnae Michelle Fleet and Education Director Carolyn Adams will teach the workshops, along with a musician accompanist.
A group of PAL children, teens and families will receive free tickets to a live performance on November 11 by the Taylor Company at the David H. Koch Theater.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to engage and expose PAL teens to the world of dance and hope that it sparks a lifelong love of the performing arts,” says Meredith Gray, PAL Director of Program Development & Partnership.
“It is essential that young people see themselves as creative human beings and connected to the arts,” says Carolyn Adams, Taylor Education Director. “The goal of this wonderful partnership is to engage students in their own creative process and movement experience prior to attending a live performance in the theater.”
One of the most iconic and dynamic modern dance ensembles of our time, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has been innovating and transforming the art form of modern dance since 1954. With a history of multidisciplinary collaborations, passionate expression and thrilling athleticism, the Company is known worldwide for its vast repertory, performing work from the Founder’s canon, new works created by some of today’s most engaging and established choreographers, and important historical dance from the 20th and 21st centuries. Dedicated to sharing modern dance with the broadest possible audience, the Company tours annually, both domestically and internationally, with performances and a variety of educational programs and engagement offerings.
After-school programs and academic enrichment at PAL build confidence in young people. PAL’s after-school programs focus on project-based learning through STEAM initiatives, including coding, sustainable beehives, hydroponics, and dance workshops, in addition to homework help, tutoring, internships, and career development.
Founded in 1914, New York City’s Police Athletic League is a nonprofit organization that provides recreational, educational, cultural and social activities to 15,000 children and teens annually. For more information, please visit www.palnyc.org.
Photo Credit: Michelle Fleet and Company in “Esplanade” by Paul Taylor. by Paul B. Goode.
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