Paul Taylor - one of last living members of the third generation of America's modern dance artists - has died at the age of 88.
He began his career relatively late in 1953. In 1954 he assembled a small company of dancers and began making his own works. A commanding performer despite his late start, he joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1955 for the first of seven seasons as soloist. All the while he was continuing to choreograph on his own small troupe. He also worked with the choreographers Merce Cunningham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Wideman, Jose Limon and Jerome Robbins. In 1959 he was invited by Balanchine to be a guest artist with New York City Ballet.
A 2015 documentary titled Paul Taylor: Creative Domain showcased his creative process. It was described as "a fly-on-the-wall depiction of the 2010 creation of Three Dubious Memories, his 133rd modern-dance piece for the eponymous company that he founded 61 years ago."
"[Taylor] whose highly diverse style was born in radical experimentalism in the 1950s, created poignant and exuberant works that entered the repertoire of numerous dance companies. His own company, eloquent and athletic, has been one of the world’s superlative troupes." New York Times obituary, 30/08/2018