I always wanted to learn acrobatics when I was a kid, but it wasn't offered for boys in Jamaica where I grew up. Ironically, gymnastics schools on the island weren't open to training boys, but dance schools certainly were, even though at one point I was the only boy on the island taking ballet lessons. This didn't mean that boys didn't dance, just not ballet nor gymnastics. Track and field were the competitive sports of choice for Jamaicans, and the island still produces some of the best track athletes in the world!
Partially on account of my physical build, and my expansive movement quality, Paul Taylor seemed to imagine that I had an acrobatic background, similar to previous dancers in his company. He cast me in roles that assumed a skillset I had always dreamed of learning, but sadly didn't have. In NYC I discovered a world of "open" adult classes for almost anything you might want to learn, including adult beginner "tumbling"! At thirty years old I learned to hold my first handstand, and by thirty-one I successfully did my first back handspring without a spotter! Throughout my fifteen years dancing and creating with Taylor I continued my extra-curricular training in acrobatic tumbling, consistently reinforcing basic techniques that were NOT second-nature from my lifelong training in dance.
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| circa 1998 in "Piazzolla Caldera" with Andy Lebeau. |
As I started staging Taylor's dances, I realized how learning new physical skills as an adult made me a better coach for young dancers, developing and honing their own skills and interests for their future in dance and theater. In 2009, I had the pleasure of setting Paul Taylor's "Airs" at the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD), and working with a young dancer, Robbie Curtis, who was in his final year.
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| 2009 rehearsing Robbie Curtis & Nicola Leahy at NZSD. Photo: Steven A'Court |
Robbie would go on to work internationally in circus troupes, eventually starting his own, continuing to push the marriage of acrobatics, dance, music and theater to make a statement through performing Art! He has kindly said this about working with me.
“I am pleased to recommend Richard Chen See as an extremely talented and dedicated dance professional. I had the pleasure of working with Richard at the New Zealand School of Dance, on Paul Taylor Repertoire, and was constantly driven physically and creatively to explore my limits and artistry. Richard's incredible passion and commitment is truly world class, and I value my time learning from him greatly.”
Robbie Curtis (Co-founder & Artistic Director, ARC CIRCUS)
I am so proud of watching Robbie's career path, and that we have kept in touch, if intermittently!
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| Through the years... Robbie with Nicola... with Lizzie Mcrae |
And to bring this back to where I started this post... not only did my adult tumbling education color roles I originated, but so did my background in contact improvisation!
I am teaching regular open adult classes in Ballet basics every Tuesday, and advanced Taylor modern every Saturday in NYC. Please come join me at Taylor Dance West in the heart of Manhattan!?
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