Paul Taylor Dance Company members Francisco Graciano (l) and Michael Apuzzo (r) perform an exuberant insect chest bump in "Gossamer Gallants."PHOTO: TOM CARAVAGLIA
The concept of dancing animals usually conjurs images of moribund swans or perhaps YouTube videos of cats bobbing in time to music and two-stepping parrots. Those with more refined tastes might recall the “Carnival of the Animals,” a ballet set to Camille Saint-Saëns' 1886 suite. Regardless, you’re unlikely to imagine insects, since a buzzing swarm of flies or a stream of ants rushing to a sugar bowl does not exactly seem graceful or rhythmic.
Why this glaring absence of bugs in dance? Insects are beautiful, extravagant in their movements, and full of drama. Paul Taylor’s “Gossamer Gallants,” which premiered in November 2011, captures the vigor and majesty of the six-legged set, and it does so without overly literal interpretations of insect bodies or behavior. This ...
