NewsUpper SchoolFine Arts
Taylor attends prestigious summer dance institute
Aug 4, 2006 10:38 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Dance is more than a hobby for senior Lee Taylor. Fifteen years of serious training and glowing recommendations from her instructors at the Georgia Dance Conservatory made her an ideal applicant for American Dance Festival’s six-week summer program at Duke University.
“It seemed that every door of ‘dance academia’ I entered was strongly connected in some way to modern dance, and every dance professor had either been a previous American Dance Festival participant or instructor,” said Taylor. “I began to feel that ADF was the best possible way to broaden and expand my knowledge of modern dance under the instruction of the finest professional choreographers around.”
Because Taylor was accepted to ADF early in the year, she was among the first to register and, therefore, was able to get into classes that filled quickly. She auditioned for Ming-Lung Yang’s Repertory and received a call-back.
“I considered this an honor as Yang had served as a guest professor at the Korean National University of the Arts and was the former artistic director of Dance Forum Taipei,” said Taylor.
After the first four days, her typical seven-day dance week consisted of two technique classes in modern dance and either a composition class or an improvisation class. Six hours a week, Taylor studied Lehman Notation as well as advanced Pilates. She was also eligible to drop in on ballet classes.
“The opportunity to watch over 12 international professional companies perform weekly was inspiring,” she said. “Opening night welcomed the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. Other notables included Emmanuel Gat from Israel, Provincial Dance Theatre from Russia, Shen Wei Dance Company from Japan and Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca from Spain, just to name a few.”
Taylor said her favorite performance, set by David Dorfman, was about the war in Iraq. “This piece encapsulated the passion of real-world issues through the beauty and strength of dance,” she explained. “These magnificent dancers not only amazed, but educated the audience. A beautiful dancer from Israel spoke Hebrew to the crowd; her elegant movements captivated us as she spoke in a language none could understand … Though the language was incomprehensible and rough, the dancing explained it better than words.”
After logging nearly 200 hours of dance instruction during ADF’s six-week program, Taylor earned eight hours of college credit from Duke University. She hopes to participate in future ADF programs, and plans to study dance in college so that she can eventually teach at the college level.
“The American Dance Festival was one of the best experiences of my life, as I was in the company of powerful, artistic dancers from all over the world,” said Taylor. “I would not trade my experience for anything. My teachers truly pushed my point of control and allowed me to grow as a dancer.”
American Dance Festival (ADF) is a modern dance consortium that has attracted international clientele since its inception at Bennington College in Vermont in 1934. The 2006 summer program, held June 8 through July 23, attracted dancers from 42 states and 24 countries worldwide.
Taylor is the daughter of John and Julia Taylor of Rome.
“It seemed that every door of ‘dance academia’ I entered was strongly connected in some way to modern dance, and every dance professor had either been a previous American Dance Festival participant or instructor,” said Taylor. “I began to feel that ADF was the best possible way to broaden and expand my knowledge of modern dance under the instruction of the finest professional choreographers around.”
Because Taylor was accepted to ADF early in the year, she was among the first to register and, therefore, was able to get into classes that filled quickly. She auditioned for Ming-Lung Yang’s Repertory and received a call-back.
“I considered this an honor as Yang had served as a guest professor at the Korean National University of the Arts and was the former artistic director of Dance Forum Taipei,” said Taylor.
After the first four days, her typical seven-day dance week consisted of two technique classes in modern dance and either a composition class or an improvisation class. Six hours a week, Taylor studied Lehman Notation as well as advanced Pilates. She was also eligible to drop in on ballet classes.
“The opportunity to watch over 12 international professional companies perform weekly was inspiring,” she said. “Opening night welcomed the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company. Other notables included Emmanuel Gat from Israel, Provincial Dance Theatre from Russia, Shen Wei Dance Company from Japan and Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca from Spain, just to name a few.”
Taylor said her favorite performance, set by David Dorfman, was about the war in Iraq. “This piece encapsulated the passion of real-world issues through the beauty and strength of dance,” she explained. “These magnificent dancers not only amazed, but educated the audience. A beautiful dancer from Israel spoke Hebrew to the crowd; her elegant movements captivated us as she spoke in a language none could understand … Though the language was incomprehensible and rough, the dancing explained it better than words.”
After logging nearly 200 hours of dance instruction during ADF’s six-week program, Taylor earned eight hours of college credit from Duke University. She hopes to participate in future ADF programs, and plans to study dance in college so that she can eventually teach at the college level.
“The American Dance Festival was one of the best experiences of my life, as I was in the company of powerful, artistic dancers from all over the world,” said Taylor. “I would not trade my experience for anything. My teachers truly pushed my point of control and allowed me to grow as a dancer.”
American Dance Festival (ADF) is a modern dance consortium that has attracted international clientele since its inception at Bennington College in Vermont in 1934. The 2006 summer program, held June 8 through July 23, attracted dancers from 42 states and 24 countries worldwide.
Taylor is the daughter of John and Julia Taylor of Rome.
