Modern Dancer, Choreographer Paul Taylor Dies at 88

Paul Taylor, a celebrated modern dancer and choreographer, has died at 88. A spokesperson for Taylor’s dance company told The New York Times that Taylor died of renal failure on Wednesday in a Manhattan hospital. Taylor’s influence on modern dance began in the 1950s, when he began dancing for famed choreographers like George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham, along with creating his own works. He retired from dancing in 1974, but his company continued performing his previous works with dancers like Pina Bausch and Twyla Tharp, who went on to become “world-class choreographers” in their own right. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor was working well into his 80s and choreographed a total of 147 dances in his lifetime.