Unlike a usual waltz, in which the lift and dip would come from the legs, this waltz from Paul Taylor’s Cloven Kingdom (1976) requires the up-and-down motion to come solely from the torso. The legs remain in plié the entire time, eating space. (When this piece is performed, dancers traverse the length of the stage using one pass of this waltz.)
Cathy McCann was a principal dancer (1979–91) with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and toured internationally with Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project for several years. She has staged Taylor works for American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, San Francisco Ballet, the Paris Opéra Ballet and, most recently, Sarasota Ballet. She has been a faculty member at Adelphi University, Barnard College and Hofstra University and taught at the American Dance Festival and The School at Jacob’s Pillow. She regularly teaches the 10 am professional-level open class at the Paul Taylor Studios in NYC.
Sasha Smith has been studying at the Taylor School for six years.