SEASON CRUSH: PAUL TAYLOR’S MICHAEL APUZZO

Now that Sebastien and Roberto and cohorts have, evilly, fled New York City for Washington DC, poor SLSG has had no choice but to look elsewhere for worthy crush objects. Quite happily, she has found one in this new Paul Taylor guy!

Seriously, I noticed this one right away in the first piece on Saturday’s program, Mercuric Tidings, a fun, flighty, pure movement / music-made-visual dance set to Franz Schubert. Apuzzo was sprightly and precise and had great form, but was also very animated and theatrical.

I nearly burst out laughing when I looked at his bio in the program because I always go for the dramatic types!

Like him and her and of course him! Apuzzo, who just joined the company and is making his NYC debut, graduated Yale U. in 2005 concentrating in economics and theater. He began his dance training in college, and was dance captain for an original dance production of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. He acted with the Yale Repertory Theater and has performed in several musicals, including the national tour of Tharp’s Movin’ Out.

That photo above is very serious-looking in a stare-you-down kind of way and doesn’t really express his stage charisma (and I can’t find any photos of him dancing yet since he’s new). But here he is animatedly demonstrating to incoming Yale students the importance of rubbing a statue’s bronze toe on the way in:

Mercuric Tidings is the only thing I’ve seen him in so far, but hopefully will see him in more this coming week. Paul Taylor’s on through March 15; go here for tickets and schedule.

Saturday night I also saw Beloved Renegade, made in 2008, which is currently making its NY debut. I liked it but didn’t fall madly in love with it, as many others have. Will write more soon!