Ensemble flex their muscles on string of modern classics

The Paul Taylor Dance Company showcases style and energy throughout a fine, polished evening

- Zoe Anderson

On a frosty night, the dancers of the Paul Taylor Dance Company move with irrepressible warmth – bounding through American modern classics.

Taylor, who died in 2018, was one of the big names of 20th-century dance. A star performer with Martha Graham’s company, he founded his own in 1954. His choreography is boldly athletic, balancing large, confident energy with dashes of experiment and darkness.

Brandenburgs, created in 1988, makes a good introduction. Six men and three women sprint through buoyant, lively steps to a recording of Bach. Dancers curl into lines and groups, sharing smiles as they whizz past. It’s full of vitality and teasing musical detail. Each woman skips forward, then the third decorates the step with a spiky triple kick.