Paul Taylor Dance Company

James Samson grew up in a small town in a large family whose members were close. "We'd go to the Lomo Club to jitterbug, two-step, and circle dance, and we'd have so much fun!" A native of St. Martin's, Missouri, James received a B.F.A. in dance and a minor in business from Southwest Missouri State University. He went on to study as a scholarship student with the David Parsons New Arts Festival, Pilobolus Intensive Workshop, and Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive where he performed in Paul Taylor's Airs set by Linda Kent. He has danced for Charleston Ballet Theatre, Omaha Theatre Company Ballet, Omega Dance Company, New England Ballet, Connecticut Ballet and the Amy Marshall Dance Company. In February 2001 James learned that Mr. Taylor was going to be watching class the following day to find someone to understudy Andy LeBeau's roles while he was out with a back injury. "When Paul walks in the room, nerves kind of creep up on you and take over sometimes," said James. "I just let my nerves go away. I danced the best I could, trying to execute the style." Mr. Taylor asked James to understudy the City Center season and tour for six months, and when there was an opening in the Company in December 2001, he invited James to join PTDC. TaylorNotes caught up with the Queens resident on a June afternoon before he headed to physical therapy following successful knee surgery. Given his preference for outdoor life, it seemed fitting that the discussion took place on a sunny day in Manhattan's Union Square Park.

TaylorNotes: What was it like to grow up in a small town of 20,000? James Samson: We had a huge backyard, fields everywhere, great neighbors and kids my age, and cousins living across the street. We played together all the time. I took gymnastics for three years and was good at the floor exercises; I was scrawny and wimpy back then and the gym apparatus scared me, but I can still do handsprings and cartwheels.

TN: And your route to dance? JS: My mom put me in dance class when I was eight. I began with tap and jazz and for my first performance -- at Lincoln University's Richardson Theater -- I was the Candy Man, with a satin-and-sequin vest and a hot-pink cane, and I thought I was hot stuff! I didn't seriously think about becoming a dancer until college, where I had my first ballet and modern classes. After college I became an apprentice with Charlestown Ballet Theater, and a year later I was in the corps doing Nutcracker and modern rep.

TN: How did you come to Paul's work? JS: A couple of my professors said I had an all-American look and strong physique and would fit into Paul Taylor's company well. I'd watched videos and loved the movement, and had taken classes with [Taylor alumnus] Andrew Asnes at Broadway Dance Center. The style felt amazing on my body, it was so easy and natural -- the dancers in the Company would all tell you Paul's movement feels really good on their body. Paul has such an interesting way of moving, and it feels organic to us. His choreography isn't just on the extremities but inside your body also, and everything connects. As a dancer, Paul made everything look so graceful and easy, and that's what you strive to do in your own way; to emulate him and still make it your own.

TN: Have you watched many videos of him dancing? JS: I'm going to do his role in Public Domain and I've been studying his movement in that piece. He was fascinating; it goes without saying that he's the quintessential Taylor dancer. It's fun to study him -- there are so many minute things he brought across that we sometimes lose sight of, like contractions, fluidity and linking one movement to another. It would be a dream to dance like him and be considered on that level.

TN: For the record, you just gave yourself a shot of insulin. JS: I have type 1, or juvenile, diabetes. Before class this morning I drank a big bottle of juice, and I just had some lunch and forgot to check my glucose and take a shot. I'm feeling a little sugar high right now -- a little numbness and fuzziness -- and I wanted to bring my sugar back down. I have no qualms about doing it front of people. I test five or six times a day, which is a lot but I want to stay on top of it; I just have to rotate fingers when I test. And I take five or six shots a day. I didn't find out I had diabetes until I was 27, during my first six months with the Company. We were in China for four weeks and during the last week I ate something that gave me an allergic reaction. When we got back to the States my dermatologist ran blood tests and while I was on tour in Spain he called to tell me I had diabetes.

TN: Has it changed your life drastically? JS: I just have this routine now, and I've learned to be more in tune with myself. I have to be aware of my physical condition before I go on stage -- make sure my sugar's okay. I should pay more attention to what I eat, but I've gotten good at guessing how many units of insulin I need to counter a dessert. A lot of people are in denial about the disease and don't test often, but I don't want to spend four hours a day with a sugar high, and it can take 15 to 20 minutes to come down.

Laura Halzack: "...Byzantium was one of James's first big featured roles, and I remember Paul being so tickled the first time he saw him do it. He said 'I knew you could do it!,' and gave James a big smile. It would be interesting to ask James what it was like doing a Dave Parsons original and what the challenges were of finding his own identity in the solo, which he does spectacularly! And it would be interesting to know his thoughts right before the curtain goes up for that solo, while he has his ear to the floor. It's so hard to start a piece being the only person on stage; all your nerves are in your throat!!!"

TN: ...Byzantium can be a bit inscrutable. Give us your take on it. JS: It tells about the final days of the Byzantine Empire -- the Church vs. the people. The Church, represented by the Saints, is trying to increase its control but the people resist. My opening solo foretells something disastrous about to happen. I learned it by watching the video of David Parsons in the role. I loved watching him; he's tall and lanky and flexible with his upper body and I tried to emulate that, but almost to a fault. I was emulating every little step, which was hindering me from putting the movement into my own body and bringing across the message -- so I focused on the character and the basis of the movement. Last season, our second time in a row doing it, I had more fun with it, took more chances and let it all hang out. When the curtain rises I'm alone on stage with my ear to the ground, listening to the earth for what's coming before I spread the news. I only have a little depth in which to dance; the scrim behind me is pushing me toward the audience and you feel even more exposed than usual. Then I have those jumps where I'm basically saying, "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!" and there's really no time to prepare for those jumps. Once I'm in that crouch I have to dive right into the movement.

Paul Taylor: "...Byzantium has been a breakout role for James. He's nice and big and his size and ability make him perfect for certain parts."

TN: The Cloven quartet is another of your showcase roles. JS: I was very excited to be cast in it. It's one of the hardest dances in our rep for the men; that quartet is exhausting and exasperating but rewarding at the same time. It's a great challenge and fun to do. You get to show a man's virile, animalistic part and the audience really gets enthralled by it. Sometimes we get preoccupied with our steps, and Paul will remind us that the dance is about our animalistic side and that we need to use our backs more.

TN: Is it harder when the quartet is excerpted on special occasions? JS: No, it's a little easier, because in a full performance the men do enough before the quartet to get a bit tired.

TN: Did Paul say something that gave you a key to the right approach in Offenbach Overtures? JS: He said not to overact it, not to try so hard with the comedic aspects -- to keep it deadpan and do the steps and the comedy would result.

TN: What did he tell you about your duet with Francisco Graciano in Changes? JS: He didn't really give us an idea what it was about at first so he could see what we'd make out of it -- he relies on us to help with the choreography -- but we learned that this came from Paul's relationship as a kid with his "adopted" father, Mr. Butts. My role is a caring, loving, big-hearted person who's showing the boy the right path in life, so Paul wanted the character to be generous and caring.

TN: Can you give us an example of the "wow factor" that must come of working with Paul? JS: In making a dance sometimes he'll describe a subtle difference that we don't quite get, so he'll demonstrate it. During Beloved Renegade, there's a point where Michael Trusnovec is on his back and Laura Halzack's in a plank position above him; he has to lower her to his chest and then push her back up. Paul wanted to make clear what he wanted, so he laid down on the floor, lowered Laura down and pushed her back up -- and we were all gasping! We absolutely loved it, got a huge kick out of it. It's so great to watch any movement he does, and at times like that I just want him to keep going to see what he could do!

TN: Are there some tours that stand out for you? JS: My first tour was China a few months after being in the Company. How many Americans get to go to China for a month!? I had never traveled outside the United States, and having my own room in this foreign country where everything is so different was a little crazy. Now I've been there three times, which is just amazing, and the experience has gotten better each time. Bangkok, Thailand was extraordinary. We've been all over Europe, which is fantastic. Istanbul, a place you never think you'd go to, was just great -- shopping for items that you could bring home and always cherish. And Greece was fantastic. It's always a little intimidating to tour overseas in terms of the language barrier but we always seem to get by pretty well.

TN: Under "religion," your Facebook page says "Religions shouldn't judge others." JS: I find religions very judgmental of other ones. So many religions seem to say that if you're not living up to their expectations, you're not living the right life. People should be happy with what they believe in, serve their own God, and respect everyone else's opinions. It seems that if the whole world doesn't believe as they do, they're unhappy; they should be happy with their own beliefs and leave everyone else be.

TN: I take it you're not religious. JS: Not really. I grew up Catholic -- I was baptized and confirmed -- but we weren't very devout. I still consider myself Catholic -- I don't need to denounce it -- but I don't agree with a lot of what they do these days. We all have our own personal God, or don't, and whatever our personal relationship with Him may be is good enough. I don't think you have to be in a huge congregation for that to work. I believe I'm living the best life I can, and that's good enough.

TN: You also mention that you like mashed potatoes! JS: I had the best mashed potatoes in my life last night, right across the street from here at Coffee Shop. I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Not only were the mashed potatoes amazing -- probably five sticks of butter -- but the gravy was just as good; the spices were amazing. I could have just had a huge plate of mashed potatoes and been perfectly happy. Every year Paul gives us a birthday present of a butterfly he catches and frames, and this year mine came in a big wrapped box that included a huge box of instant mashed potatoes. I reveled in showing everyone my gift -- I had no idea Paul knew that I loved mashed potatoes. I've eaten them, and they're fine.

TN: We've caught up with you as you're recovering from an injury... JS: I injured my knee a year and a half ago during City Center 2008. I was performing ...Byzantium and toward the end, excruciating pain crept up on me out of nowhere. I had a hard time putting weight on my left foot and jumping off of it, and I compensated on my right side so it wouldn't show to the audience. The next day I could barely walk down stairs. I did physical therapy and Pilates to strengthen my knee, and over the next six to nine months I had no pain, but I did have clicking every now and then. An MRI showed a torn meniscus -- the horseshoe-shaped cartilage under the kneecap -- so I decided to have surgery in June. I had the same surgery on the other knee in 1998 but that healed a lot faster. I just took my first ballet class yesterday; now I have to get back into shape.

TN: What are you looking forward to dancing? JS: Public Domain will probably be one of the hardest things I've ever had to learn and do. I think Paul might have improvised a lot of his movement; it's so detailed and quirky and different, and he was on stage quite a bit. I'm looking forward to it but it's going to take a lot of homework. And I'm looking forward to doing Brandenburgs again.

TN: It must feel good to be chosen for one of Paul's own roles. JS: It really does, because there aren't a whole lot of things in our rep now that Paul did. A lot of people have gotten to do Aureole, and Sean Mahoney just did Scudorama. Having the opportunity to do Paul's role is astounding. It's a 35-minute piece and I have a long duet with Laura, and I love dancing with her. I hope to do it justice.

TN: If you could live wherever you wanted, where would you choose? JS: I'd stay here and continue dancing for Paul until I felt it was my time to retire. I would not change anything now but stay here and do what I love. After retiring I'd move to the beach, live a nice quiet life and start something new.

TN: If you could have dinner tonight with anyone who ever lived, I know what you would have, but who would you have it with? JS: My great-grandfather. I was very young when he died, five or six. He adored me and I adored him. I'd sit on his lap and he'd bounce me up and down and say "Who's my boy?" and I'd say "Me!" He was a very tiny man but a big ball of love. Within that short period before he got Alzheimer's we really had a great relationship. Then one night they found him sleeping in the cow pasture with all of his animals around him.

TN: Do you think he'd be proud of you now? JS: I think he would. That would top any celebrity dinner!