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Jacob's Pillow Director Reflects On Death Of Paul Taylor

Carl Van Vechten
/
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Van Vechten Collection
Paul Taylor in 1960.

The work of choreographer Paul Taylor, who died this week at 88, had a wide impact on the world of modern dance — and the Berkshires were no exception.

Pamela Tatge is the director of Jacob’s Pillow, the renowned dance center set in Becket, Massachusetts. She says her introduction to modern dance was seeing Taylor’s iconic work “Esplanade” as a child. Tatge says Taylor’s history in the Berkshires goes back to 1954, when he took to the Jacob’s Pillow stage as a dancer.

“And the Paul Taylor company performed here for the first time in 1964," Tatge told WAMC, "and that company was a regular part of our season offerings every year.”

His second company — Taylor Two — debuted at Jacob’s Pillow in 1993.

Tatge says plans to hold a tribute to the late choreographer are underway.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.