The Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass – The Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform in Great Barrington at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 23 at 8pm, the third appearance by this world-renowned dance troupe and their second annual kick-off to the Berkshires’ summer art season. All Tickets ($60 Golden Circle / $50 / $45 Members / $20 Limited Balcony) are available through The Mahaiwe Box Office and online: http://www.mahaiwe.org.

Paul Taylor is known as one of the pioneers of modern dance, and his choreography is noted for its physicality, grace and cultural relevance. The program will include three dances from the Taylor repertoire. Funny Papers is a hilarious romp with a score that includes such novelty tunes as "Popeye the Sailor Man" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On The Bedpost Overnight)." Scudorama, a progenitor of Taylor’s later explorations of mankind’s darker impulses, is a suspenseful anticipation of Armageddon. Beloved Renegade, which is being given its Massachusetts Premiere, was inspired by the life of Walt Whitman. It is set to Poulenc's choral masterpiece, "Gloria." The New York Times called this “a work of philosophic as well as dramatic power...one of the great achievements of Mr. Taylor's long career.”

“The dances we’re performing at the Mahaiwe showcase a variety of styles and themes,” said John Tomlinson, General Manager of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. “These dances -- classics alongside some of Mr. Taylor's most recent work -- are not only enjoyable but culturally meaningful as well.”

The Taylor Company most recently appeared at the Mahaiwe last May, giving the Company premiere of Changes. “There's great enthusiasm in Berkshire County for the talents of this legendary choreographer and his dancers,” commented the Mahaiwe’s Executive Director, Beryl Jolly. “We’re thrilled about the Mahaiwe’s ongoing relationship with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and look forward to an excellent program to launch our summer arts season.”


To become a friend and member of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center to earn exclusive benefits including discounts on tickets to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company and other great acts. For more information or to purchase advance tickets to the Paul Taylor Dance Company, please call the Mahaiwe Box Office at 413-528-0100 or visit us online at http://www.mahaiwe.org.

About the Paul Taylor Dance Company                                                

The world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company sets the global standard for contemporary dance excellence. Since the company’s founding in 1954, Mr. Taylor has choreographed 130 dances, many of which have attained iconic status, and have been celebrated throughout the world. The Company has performed in more than 520 cities and 62 countries. Mr. Taylor continues to create two new works a year for his 16-member Company. His autobiography, Private Domain, was published in 1987 and the Company was the subject of the documentary film Dancemaker, nominated for an Academy Award in 1999. Mr. Taylor has achieved countless accolades, including two of our nation’s highest artistic distinctions, the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.
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Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said. 

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