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Paul Taylor |
Founder of the Paul Taylor Dance Company to Receive Honorary Degree from Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
March 25, 2008
Paul Taylor, founder of the Paul Taylor Dance Company will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree from Adelphi University at its 112th Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 19, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY.
As a world renowned dancer choreographer, Mr. Taylor has studied under prominent choreographers such as Martha Graham, José Limón, Charles Weidman, and Don Humphrey. He has performed in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, with whom he began his professional career, and George Balanchine. Discovering the art of dancing while attending college at Syracuse University, Mr. Taylor continued on to Juilliard School and the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College.
Using everyday gestures and stances from the street rather than dance moves is a characteristic of his choreography. Mr. Taylor has collaborated with other artists who share his vision of bringing the vernacular into high art; such as painters Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Alex Katz, as well as legendary Tiffany & Co. designer Gene Moore. His work reflects the beauty and pathos of society, depicted in his signature work, Esplanade (1975).
In 1954, Mr. Taylor founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and from it emerged a new group of dancers such as Twyla Tharp, Laura Dean, Dan Wagoner, Carolyn Adams, Christopher Gillis, Senta Driver, and David Parsons. Retired from dancing, Mr. Taylor has devoted his time to directing his company and teaching the younger generations the rigors and beauty of dance.
Adelphi University will confirm more than 2,500 graduates at the associate’s, bachelor’s masters, and doctoral levels at its Commencement. Adelphi President Robert A. Scott will deliver the Commencement address. Honorary degrees will also be conferred upon Lon Gorman, retired vice chairman of The Charles Schwab Corporation, and Adele C. Smithers, philanthropist and president of The Christopher D. Smithers Foundation.
For more information and the full day’s program, please contact Adelphi’s commencement office at 516.877.4695, or visit www.adelphi.edu/commencement08.
About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, the Honors College, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls more than 8,300 students from 40 states and 50 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Kali Chan
Media Relations Director
p - 516.877.4040
f - 516.877.3266
e - chan@adelphi.edu
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