For Ruth Andrien, accepting the role of rehearsal director for Taylor 2 was a homecoming. Andrien danced with the Paul Taylor Dance Company from 1974 to 1983 and has restaged his work at companies and universities around the world. After receiving an MFA in dance at Hollins University in 2007, she is thrilled to be back. “It was a wonderful surprise to be offered this position,” she says. “Paul is really pulling people back into the company who are devoted to his work. He truly values the family that he’s created.”
Andrien will tour the country with Taylor 2, including a residency at Adelphi University through November 7, and she will work with them to revive some of Taylor’s classic works, such as Funny Papers, Profiles, Roses Duet and Lento Duet. “Having danced these dances leaves a mark on your soul for the rest of your life,” she says. “To return to them is so beautiful and exciting.”
Photo: Andrien in Paul Taylor’s House of Cards, circa 1981 (by Tom Caravaglia, courtesy of the Paul Taylor Dance Company)