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What impresses me so much about Rafal is the incredibly musical maturity he possesses. In many ways, technical prowess is the easy part. But the ability to spin phrases with perfect balance and timing, to not take too many liberties while still drawing out poignancy, the achievement of an incredibly organic result…this takes true mastery. Artists can work for years and still not achieve this.

Today marks the 80th birthday of Paul Taylor, artistic director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Mr. Taylor has been dancing and choreographing for over 60 years, enjoying a career that has fundamentally shaped the development of modern dance in America. In honor of Mr. Taylor’s extensive contributions to both modern dance and dance education, and in celebration of such a landmark birthday, we’ve compiled a history of the previous appearances of the Paul Taylor Dance Company at UMS.

Many members of the UMS staff keep a watchful eye on local and national media for news about artists on our season, pressing arts issues, and more. We thought we’d pull together a list of interesting stories each week and share them with you. Welcome to UMS’s Arts Roud-up, a weekly collection of arts news, including national issues, artist updates, local shout-outs, and a link or two just for fun.

Anderson has an incredible talent for taking bits and pieces of our hyper-commercial, hyper-politicized society and spinning them into moments of hyper-realistic cyber-techno poetry that challenge authority, bend reality, and demand that we see the world differently. Audiences can expect to be surprised and challenged by the way Anderson transforms herself through what she’s called “audio drag”: sometimes she’s the cool, calm, collected self-help guru, sometimes she’s the evil robot of our worst sci-fi futuristic nightmares, and other times she’s a domineering patriarch.

Many members of the UMS staff keep a watchful eye on local and national media for news about artists on our season, pressing arts issues, and more. We’ll pull together a list of interesting stories each week and share them with you. Welcome to UMS’s Arts Roudup, a weekly collection of arts news, including national issues, artist updates, local shout-outs, and a link or two just for fun. If you come across something interesting in your own reading, please feel free to share!

Ah, summer. For many Michiganders, that means packing up the car and heading to a place we lovingly call “Up North,” the land of fresh air, blue skies, and sandy shores that stretch on for miles. Head north of Cadillac and west of Houghton Lake this summer, and you’ll find a myriad of arts opportunities and UMS connections…

SN: Grupo Corpo’s work has been described as “searing sensuality elegantly under control” (Le Monde, Paris)—what specific style(s) of dance can audience members expect to see at this performance? RL: From the numerous video…

Welcome to UMS’s Media Roudup, a weekly collection of arts news, including national issues, artist updates, local shout-outs, and a link or two just for fun.

TN2020 is a network for action which brings together emerging leaders from Europe and North America to revitalize transatlantic and global links for the future. Aged 25 to 35, the network includes young professionals from business, civil society, the arts, science and media who are on track to lead their professions and societies by 2020. I represented UMS and the arts along with a handful of other “creative types”… actors, fashion designers, dancers and educators.