Paul Taylor Dance Company Revives Works Not Seen in 50 Years at The Joyce

The Paul Taylor Dance Company will return to The Joyce Theater from June 17–22, 2025, with a landmark engagement that breathes new life into two rarely seen dances from the 1960s and 1970s. This special week of performances marks the Company’s most ambitious reconstruction project to date—culminating in the revival of Tablet (1960) and Churchyard (1969), each reconstructed for the first time in decades. The program also features three enduring masterworks by Paul Taylor: Cloven Kingdom (1976), Polaris (1976), and Esplanade (1975), which continues its 50th anniversary celebration. Tickets start at $27 and are available online HERE. 

The reconstructions are being led by Artistic Director Michael Novak, in collaboration with a team of celebrated Taylor artists. Among them are Rehearsal Director Bettie de Jong, Director of Education Carolyn Adams, and Nicolas Gunn, original cast members in Churchyard, whose firsthand knowledge and history with the works are invaluable. They are joined by Rehearsal Director Cathy McCann, Director of Licensing Richard Chen See, and current Company member Madelyn Ho, M.D., who is assisting in the Studio. Together, this intergenerational team is breathing new life into three rarely seen works with care, integrity, and deep artistic insight.

“These works were groundbreaking when they premiered, and they continue to resonate today,” said Novak. “Reconstructing them has been a profound journey—one that reveals the depth of Taylor’s creative imagination and his uncanny ability to reflect the human experience across time. I wanted to share these dances with a new generation, in a theater where audiences can experience them with the same intimacy and power they held decades ago.”