ROBERT BATTLE

BACK TO THE ROOTS: THE ART OF MAKING WORK

A conversation with ROBERT BATTLE

By Armando BRASWELL

Congratulations on your new role as Resident Choreographer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. What inspired you to take on this position, and how does it differ from your previous role as Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater?

I find that life is kind of circular in some ways. At Juilliard, I had Carolyn Adams as a teacher and Linda Kent, who danced with both Ailey and Taylor. I remember learning Lark Ascending and Esplanade from Linda, and after Juilliard, I danced with David Parsons, so I’ve always felt connected to the Taylor company.

© Marie Cowan

Jada Pearman in Dedicated To You, Ch. Robert Battle for the Paul Taylor Company in honor of Carolyn Adams
© Whitney Browne

When I became Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey, the first thing I did was bring in a Paul Taylor work because it hadn’t been done before. It was a deliberate decision to bridge the modern dance worlds of Taylor and Ailey.

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