I never correlated classical music with the modern dance of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.  This American choreographer of the 20th century never evoked the image of one who appreciates sonatas, rondos or symphonies. The only classical dance that comes to my mind when I think of dance is the waltz. On March 15^th, 2012 I was delightfully proven wrong.

I went to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company perform at the David H. Kock Theater at Lincoln Center with my Art Administration class. I can’t say I was excited to go. I was afraid of feeling out of place amongst the regular Lincoln Center patrons. The high class, the wealthy and the dare I say snooty usually occupy the Lincoln Center as well as many other classical performance theaters. I was also afraid of the length of the concert. I hate setting for to long, especially in the dark where I have been known to drop off into sleep. I always found this fact to be interesting, because at the movie theater, though its dark, I can stay awake. I believe that a visual art is more interesting to watch then a musically recital. Even a musical performance is more exciting then a recital. A performance in my eyes (excuse the pun) requires more of a relationship with the audience, and more of a movement on stage.

Reading the Playbill, I came upon Franz Schubert’s name in the credits for the first performance. Excerpts from Schubert’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 were being used in the performance entitled Mercuric Tidings. I was excited to see what type of modern dance would be set to this classical music. The combination of modern and classical isn’t an easy mixture. At times it works, but the margin of error is often high.

  Schubert’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 is a grand piece of music, which is wonderful for any opening performance. Symphony Nos. 1 has a very fluid movement to it, as well as a feeling of sincerity. This symphony has an outdoor feeling that entices the airiness. Surprisingly I found myself tapping my feet to Schubert’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2. I honestly truly enjoy Schubert’s works. They give me a sense of calmness and freeness. Mercuric defined as, relating to or containing mercury, is a great way to describe not only the movement of the music, but also the movement of the dancers. The leaping of the dancers on the stage was beautiful. They seemed to be completely in tune with Symphony Nos. 1 and 2. The fast paced walks, the aerial leaps and the extend stretches by all thirteen dancers on stage gave life to Symphony Nos. 1 and 2, or maybe its safe to say that Symphony Nos. 1 and 2 gave life to the dancers.   

Despite my prior misconceptions, I had a great time at the David H. Kock Theater at Lincoln Center. I have never been to a modern dance performance before, but will defiantly see more.  Who would have thought Franz Schubert and Paul Taylor go perfect together.