Paul Taylor Dance Company’s — Interview with Michael Novak

“…Sometimes, when audiences see when a dance was made, they project an assumption onto it…that it might be “old” or “dated.” I encourage a different approach. The year a dance was made may indicate certain aspects of it, but it also may be irrelevant.

Sometimes I wonder what people would say if I replaced the year it was made with 2025 and labeled it a World Premiere. How they would engage with the work differently if they believed it was new?…

The year, after all, is just a date…”

So says Michael Novak, Artistic Director of Paul Taylor Dance Company. Novak is THE person entrusted with keeping the creativity pioneered by the troupe’s namesake alive.

It’s a charge for which Novak appears to be uniquely qualified. Paul Taylor thought so when he appointed Novak, his longtime troupe member, as the company’s second artistic director, after himself. Not only had Novak been studying dance since childhood, but Novak’s academic pursuits at Columbia University immersed him in study of what’s called the Science of Applied Aesthetics and its thought leader François Delsarte. Delsarte’s system emphasized gesture, expression and movement dynamics. So too does most choreography in the modern dance canon, including Paul Taylor’s vibrant repertoire. Michael Novak lived Paul Taylor’s repertoire as a dancer. Today, he is the main steward of Taylor’s legacy.

Here, Michael Novak (MN) shares his thoughts on the why-for of Paul Taylor Dance Company’s Reconstruction Project with Picture This Post (PTP).

(PTP) How do you think your interest and prior focus on dance history affects your approach to the Reconstruction Project?

(MN) I love dance history, and I believe it’s my responsibility to bring our past with us into the future. My passion for dance history drives this work significantly.

I enjoy making the past come alive, creating entry points for audiences of all ages, taking audiences back in time, and showing them worlds they’ve never seen before.

I firmly believe Paul Taylor’s early dances offer hidden gems, perspectives, commentaries, and lessons. His innate craft, musicality, movement invention, and vibrant collaborations – even early in his career – are profound and captivating.

What are the unique features of Paul Taylor’s choreography that you think are important milestones for contemporary dance?

Paul Taylor’s choreography is known for its athleticism, emotion, and range of topics: from the comedic to the tragic and everything in between. He was never afraid to show human complexities in his work. That unique perspective is married with a genius for geometric patterns, awe-inspiring partnering, and beautiful fluidity. Some of his most famous dances – Esplanade, Company B, Promethean Fire, Aureole, Piazzolla Caldera, Beloved Renegade, Sunset, and many more beautifully synthesize all of this.

How did you select the pieces for the upcoming Joyce performance?**

I spend several hours looking through the Taylor Archives to see if we have enough raw material to bring a dance back to the stage. We rely on video footage, photos, alumni stories, Paul’s hand-written notebooks, production notes, and press clippings to reconstruct these dances.

I also consider how these dances will resonate on the stage of the JOYCE Theater. The intimacy of the JOYCE is special, and I seek to pick dances that inspire awe when they are seen for the first time in decades. Both Tablet and Churchyard have enough material for us to bring them to life, and are thrilling to watch.

How do you reconcile the difference in the original dancers who brought works to life with Paul Taylor to the troupe’s current dancers?

Each generation brings its own flavor to the repertoire. The dancers in the 1960s are different from the dancers of the 2020s. We treasure those differences and study how and why dancers moved the way they did relative to the era they are from.

Dancers evolve because dance training evolves, and, at the same time, dancers are a product of the cultural world that they are creating in. All of that must be taken into account when we rehearse, coach, and mentor.

Dances – like dancers - also evolve over time. They mature, become refined, honed, and polished. That is an important allowance we have to give, but we must also be careful that we don’t stray too far from the spirit of the work.

Why do you feel Lauren Lovette’s choreography is a best-match for the historic body of Taylor choreography?

I believe that we have a responsibility to create a body of repertory that speaks to our times, the way Paul Taylor’s repertory spoke to his. There are timeless themes – love, loss, redemption, hope, etc. But there are also themes that are urgent in the present day – pride, resilience, protest, inclusion, freedom of expression, and equality – imbued in our new dances.

Resident Choreographer Lauren Lovette creates work to offer this moment a voice. She has warmth, whimsy, athleticism, and musicality that is a perfect companion to Paul’s dances.