The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company &
Paul Taylor Dance Company Perform Each
Other's Work with Intense Eagerness
and Excitement

ADF will present the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company & Paul Taylor Dance Company on July 25th and 26th at Duke
University's Page Auditorium in Durham (left PTDC photo by Whitney Browne and (right DCDC photo by Scott Robbins)

"I can't show you what modern dance is, because it can go that way, this way, this way, or that way, and tomorrow somebody's going to come along and show us a completely new way." -- Charles L. Reinhart

The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company & Paul Taylor Dance Company close the 2025 American Dance Festival season with an evening of dance that shows us a new way. Both companies are stepping outside their own repertories, and making a switch: Dayton performing Taylor, and Taylor performing Dayton! The Friday night audience at in Page Auditorium on Duke University's West Campus in Durham displayed intense eagerness and excitement for this groundbreaking event.

First up, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) performed Paul Taylor 1975 masterpiece, Esplanade. First performed in 1975, this timeless work consists of five sections set to two of Bach's violin concertos: Concerto in E Major, followed by the final two movements of his Double Violin Concerto. I've seen this piece many times. Yet, every time, it seems new. But this performance was exceptionally new as performed by Edward Kawoq Aguirre, Qarrianne Blayr, Nicolay Dorsett, Alexandria "Peach" Flewellen, Aaron J. Frisby, Niarra Gooden-Clarke, Robert Pulido, Sadale Warner, and Countess V. Winfrey. The lore is that Paul Taylor was inspired to create Esplanade when he saw a young girl running to catch a bus. The dance elevates the ordinary movements of everyday life, into something mythic.

The astonishingly athletic Dayton cast brings a fresh intensity to moments that combine opposing emotions or movements: heart-catching and breath-taking: running and walking, joy and anguish, stillness and movement, rushing forward and looking back. Individual moments stand out: one dancer playfully hops over a line of dancers lying on the stage; a dancer leaps into the arms of another and they spin around and around in pure delight, causing a gasp from the audience. There is a calming sweetness to many tender moments in which the dancers embrace. And, yes, there's a girl running for the bus! It takes place early in the first section.

The second piece, Ulysses Dove's Vespers (1986), was performed by Paul Taylor Dance Company (PTDC) company members. Traditionally performed by African American companies, Vespers is presented by six women who dance barefoot in black church dresses, abandoning and returning to a set of chairs with explosive and emotional movement. This cross-exchange from DCDC to PTDC dancers is different, yet incredibly effective, because, at core, it's a dance about womanhood, ritual, and spirituality. Dancers Gabrielle Barnes, Lisa Borres Casey, Kristin Draucker, Jessica Ferretti, Emmy Wildermuth, and Jada Pearman create a sisterly bond through abstract movement, laden with emotional intensity.

Mikel Rouse's percussive score intensifies the dancers' drive, and the stark lighting by William Grant III intensifies the emotionality.

On the DCDC website, there is an interview with two of the original performers of Vespers: Karen Moon-Thomas and Shonna Hickman-Matlock. Hickman-Matlock mentions a conversation with Dove where, "He said as a young boy he wondered what happened in the room where his grandma and the other women of the congregation of the church would go for vesper prayers, and this was his illustration or imagination of what went on inside that room behind those closed doors."

The final piece of the evening was Splendor, a world-premiere festival-commissioned work by choreographer Amy Hall Garner, combining dancers from both companies. The piece was developed during Garner's residencies with DCDC and PTDC, with finishing touches completed this summer on-campus in Durham. Garner is internationally renowned for her work in not only modern choreography, but also ballet and musical theater. All three of these genres are reflected in her new work, Splendor.

Splendor consists of three movements, with music by Michael Torke and Roberto Prosseda. The first movement, "Green", has music that might be described as an avant-garde version of a Broadway show overture. The dancers bound onto the stage in bright yellow costumes with big smiles and sassy sashes. The mood is playful and uplifting -- accented by a golden sky. It's as if performers Alexandria "Peach" Flewellen, Niarra Gooden-Clarke, Edgar Kawoq Aguirre, Aaron J. Frisby, Lee Duveneck, Alex Clayton, Gabrielle Barnes, and Emmy Wildermuth are introducing themselves to us in a "circus-y" way. The musicality of the choreography is its strength. Much like choreographer Mark Morris, Garner understands how to create moments that are driven by the percussion, and it is so dynamic and exciting! The second movement, "Nave", is performed by Niarra Gooden-Clarke and Alex Clayton. A complete change of mood -- a quiet duet, set to piano music -- beautiful, intimate, and performed with great emotion.

The full cast comes back together for the third movement, "War Silence." We see glimpses of the first movement, but with intricate variations combined with thrilling solo moments. Splendor received a well-deserved standing ovation!

(Note: The Saturday, July 26th, performances of Vespers will be performed by another cast: Qarrianne Blayr, Emily Bryan, Fabio Tello Muñoz, Robert Pulido, Jada Pearman, Jake Vincent, Austin Kelly, and Payton Primer.)

The performances were dedicated to Charles L. Reinhart, former director of ADF, who passed away earlier this month. Reinhart was a key figure in the fostering of ADF and other dance organizations worldwide. He was beloved by the dance community, and many kind words, memories, and stories have been posted on the American Dance Festival's Facebook page.

The New York Times' July 13th tribute says Reinhart "steered modern dance into the mainstream."

All hearts are with the Reinhart family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests making a donation to The Reinhart Fund at the American Dance Festival.

DAYTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY & PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY (In Person at 12 p.m. children's matinee and 5 p.m. performance, Saturday, July 26th), performing Esplanade by Paul Taylor, Vespers by Ulysses Dove, and Splendor by Amy Hall Garner, (American Dance Festival in Page Auditorium on Duke University's West Campus in Durham). DCDC VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/@DaytonContemporaryDanceCompany. PTDC VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/paultaylordance. ADF VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/AmerDanceFest. DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/240398500/. 2025 ADF BROCHURE: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/1073499576/. 2025 ADF SEASON: https://americandancefestival.org/2025-season/. 2025 ADF CALENDAR: https://americandancefestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-ADF-Season-Calendar.pdf. PRESENTER: https://americandancefestival.org/, https://www.facebook.com/AmerDanceFest/, https://www.instagram.com/amerdancefest/, https://www.tiktok.com/@americandancefestival, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dance_Festival, and https://www.youtube.com/user/AmerDanceFest. VENUES: https://arts.duke.edu/places/page-auditorium/. DIRECTIONS: https://www.mapquest.com/. PARKING: https://americandancefestival.org/venues/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://americandancefestival.org/accessibility/. HEALTH & SAFETY POLICIES: https://americandancefestival.org/health-safety/. DAYTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY (Dayton, OH-based dance troupe, founded in 1968): https://www.dcdc.org/, https://www.facebook.com/daytoncontemporarydancecompany/, https://www.instagram.com/daytoncontemporarydancecompany, https://www.tiktok.com/tag/daytoncontemporarydancecompany, https://x.com/DCDCLive, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Contemporary_Dance_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/@DaytonContemporaryDanceCompany. PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY (New York City-based dance troupe, founded in 1954): https://paultaylordance.org/, https://linktr.ee/paultaylordance, https://www.facebook.com/PaulTaylorDance/, https://www.instagram.com/paultaylordance, https://www.tiktok.com/@paultaylordance, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Taylor_Dance_Company, https://x.com/paultaylordance, and https://www.youtube.com/paultaylordance. RUNNING TIME: 83 minutes, including one intermission. TICKETS: $18 for 12 p.m. children's matinee and $40-$70 for 5 p.m. performance, plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-684-6402 or adf@americandancefestival.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: American Dance Festival, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Paul Taylor Dance Company.

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