A glimpse of dance legend Paul Taylor at work
"Dance, I've always thought it's like poetry," says Paul Taylor, one of the preeminent choreographers of modern dance. "Poems don't always spell everything out, you know. They need room between the lines."
Paul Taylor is one of the greatest innovators of modern dance. Once a soloist for Martha Graham, who called him the "naughty boy" of dance, Taylor has been choreographing for 60 years. And his dances have often been a mystery to even the most skilled of dancers.
"Paul Taylor is an artist who's considered a genius," Geis tells CBS News. "He's created some of the most iconic modern dances. And to try to understand how he does it is the focus of this film."
Taylor's style has been described as both iconic and iconoclastic. His dances combine earthy impulses with classical grace and, often, a flirtatious youthful energy. Taylor has given few interviews, and fewer glimpses into a creative process that many struggle to understand.
"He's also very comfortable not sharing what the dance is about, even with his dancers," says Geis. "He gives them just what he feels they need to know in order to understand the intention of the movement."
The Paul Taylor Dance Company began a national 60th anniversary tour with a three-week run at Lincoln Center in New York, and is scheduled to tour in Los Angeles and Chicago, Spoleto, Italy later this year.