Facts and Fancies
Essays Written Mostly for Fun
Paul Taylor
- Witty
- and
- whimsical
- writings
- about
- the
- dance
- of
- life
- by
- the
- legendary
- choreographer.This
- wonderful
- new
- book
- by
- one
- of
- the
- preeminent
- dancers
- and
- choreographers
- consists
- of
- a
- range
- of
- pieces
- of
- fact
- and
- fiction
- that
- run
- from
- thoughts
- on
- friendliness
- and
- country
- living
- to
- animosity
- and
- city
- life.
- Taylor’s
- first
- book
- since
- his
- autobiography
- (Private
- Domain,
- 1995,
- Alfred
- A.
- Knopf)
- is
- a
- romp
- through
- his
- playful
- mind,
- with
- chapter
- titles
- such
- as:
- Why
- I
- Make
- Dances,
- The
- Redheaded
- Spiritualist,
- Martha
- Close
- Up,
- Clytemnestra,
- How
- to
- Tell
- Ballet
- from
- Modern,
- and
- In
- the
- Marcel
- Proust
- Suite
- of
- L’Hotel
- Continental.“No
- other
- dancer
- ever
- looked
- like
- Paul
- Taylor,
- that
- strapping,
- elastic,
- goofy
- hunk
- of
- a
- guy,
- and
- no
- one
- else’s
- dance
- works
- look
- like
- his
- either—not
- the
- deep,
- dark
- ones
- or
- the
- zany
- ones
- or
- the
- uplifting
- ones.
- His
- vocabulary,
- his
- tone
- are
- unique
- and
- unmistakable.
- The
- same
- thing
- is
- true,
- it
- turns
- out,
- about
- his
- writing.
- His
- style
- is
- utterly
- his
- own,
- and
- like
- all
- real
- style
- it
- isn’t
- a
- calculated
- voice
- but
- a
- reflection
- of
- the
- way
- his
- quirky
- mind
- works.”
- —From
- the
- foreword
- by
- Robert
- Gottlieb“Taylor
- has
- not
- cultivated
- one
- writing
- persona,
- but
- has
- unleashed
- a
- raft
- of
- voices
- in
- a
- raft
- of
- forms:
- travesty,
- comedy,
- fiction,
- essay,
- satire,
- allegory,
- poetry,
- fable,
- epistle.
- While
- many
- of
- these
- selections
- are
- humorous,
- as
- anyone
- familiar
- with
- Taylor’s
- choreography
- knows,
- even
- in
- the
- sunniest
- of
- his
- dances,
- there
- are
- often
- threatening
- clouds
- on
- the
- horizon.
- And
- the
- canny
- Taylor
- recognizes
- when
- to
- swap
- his
- Janus
- masks
- for
- maximum
- emotional
- wallop.”
- —From
- the
- introduction
- by
- Suzanne Carbonneau
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