"Brandeburgs," "The Uncommitted," and "Piazzolla Caldera" by Paul Taylor

(Wadsworth Auditorium, 1 October 2011)

"Brandenburgs": solipsistic,  narcissistic, baroque, literal, routine.

"The Uncommitted": formulaic, expressive, sartorially wronged.

"Piazzolla Caldera:" well-engineered, light, musical, accordant.

The dancers, competent, play not, but are being played. Unrefined, the men cannot give class to the women, but do succeed in the same-sex duo in "Piazzolla Caldera"---the dance that most betrays the choreographer's talent.

Modern ballet resembles modernist poetry in its lack of externally imposed structure. The audience may mistake form for the promise of substance. Without reliable grammar, the choreographer may end up with an amorphous product. The talented are liberated; the mediocre are encouraged and multiply.