Mournful Experience
Promethean Fire, choreographed by Paul Taylor in 2002, was viewed by a lot of audience as a tribute for those who lost loved ones from the bombing of Twin Tower on September 11, 2001. More than 3,000 people total died from 9/11 including 343 firefighters who risked their lives to help the survivors and stop the fire and smoke from the building (September). Promethean Fire portrayed what American people went through during 9/11 by using stiff bodies, lifting, and the overall space of the dancers in modern dance.
Paul Taylor was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on July 29, 1930. At the young age of 24, he started a company called Paul Taylor Dance Company and worked with iconic choreographers such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine. His prominent pieces are Three Epitaphs, Aureole, Esplanade, Airs, and Speaking in Tongues. Martha Graham started calling him “The naughty boy of modern dance” because of his approach to his choreography (Paul). When choreographing Promethean Fire, Taylor pictured himself as a reporter. He originally wanted to show in
…show more content…
Its message is an empathy of a tragedy. Taylor did a good job of representing himself as a reporter because he was able to make the audience feel what it looks like during a tragedy such as 9/11. The piece showed the audience that history repeat itself. Human beings are still killing human beings. The people who were involved in 9/11 was not the only one who were affected by it. Their relatives, family and loved ones are also affected by it. Taylor was able to convey this message through stiff bodies, lifting, and spacing. Promethean Fire showed how the body looked like, how much energy spent, and how sorrowful experience that they had to go through from a tragic event. It makes us question why someone has to go through this. Why can’t we achieve