The following contains excerpts from the February 24th Wall Street Journal article, "The Choreographer on Why He Makes Dances."

Choreographer Paul Taylor says this of his art: "I make dances because I can't help it." It's a wonderful compulsion, isn't it: to create.  And it's purely a human urge. No other animal has the need for artistic creativity.

Listen further to what Paul Taylor says of his profession: "From childhood on, I've been a reticent guy who spends a lot of time alone. I make dances in an effort to communicate to people." We humans have a need to communicate, to share our feelings, our memories and our knowledge. When something makes us feel good we want others to know about it. And there are times when words seem almost helpless to convey such a feeling.

Taylor goes on to say that art -- in his case, dance -- is a universal language: "I love tinkering with natural gesture and pedestrian movement to make them read from a distance and be recognizable as a revealing language that we all have in common." 

Paul Taylor Dance Company: http://www.ptdc.org/

Day 25 Guide

The artist conveys simple ideas of love and beauty and hope. His language is interpreted by the heart. He moves the spirit and encourages us to live. But the noise of a busy world often deafens us to his call. Stop, my friend. Push yourself to listen, look and wait for the ideas that are bound in art.

© Levi Hill, 2008