Garden Party

by Janet Anderson

dance

Here's a cool summer night idea. Taylor 2, a sleek ensemble of six dancers, performs in the idyllic setting of Longwood Gardens. That is Taylor 2, as in Paul Taylor. Yes, we mean the famous dancer-choreographer. So this isn't just any little dance troupe pulled together to divert you from summer heat in a gorgeous garden.

Taylor, who is universally recognized as one of the greatest dance choreographers (we're talking ever) created his second troupe as a flexible performing unit to take his work into boutique settings all over the world. With few technical and economic requirements, Taylor 2 can perform anywhere. These exceptional dancers have been doing exactly that. They've danced stripped-down, but not dumbed-down, versions of Taylor's major work in everything from California vineyards to New York City schools, and all over the globe from Estonia to India.

What Taylor is famous for is an idiosyncratic mix of athleticism, humor and great musicality. His dancers are physically strong and look it (which is exactly how Taylor looked in his performing days). He mixes ballet, Martha Graham, postmodern moves and virtually anything that intrigues him, and he puts it together so it seems like a boxing punch belongs with a ballet turn. He's created dances about World War II, The Wizard of Oz and gorgeous abstractions celebrating only movement intertwined with music. Expect some of that at Longwood Gardens, but expect too the intimacy of seeing these dances in the sharper focus of small, close-up versions, and then hang around for the illuminated fountain display.

Taylor 2, Sat., July 16, 7:30 p.m., $6-$14, Longwood Gardens, U.S. Rt. 1, near Kennett Square, 610-388-1000.