RETURNING TO THE STUDIO
NEW YORK RESIDENCE

From 27 April - 1 May 2026, Eliot Smith Dance (ESD) undertook a residency in New York at the Taylor Centre for Contemporary Dance, home to the Paul Taylor Dance Company. It was a period of research, development, and creative renewal that has become a significant moment in the company’s current trajectory.

While the residency was initially centred on early-stage development of Eliot’s new solo work, HUNTER, it also marked something more personal: a return to the studio not only as a choreographer, but as a dancer. After nearly five years away from performance practice, this re-engagement with daily physical training became a core part of the experience, demanding, at times uncertain, but ultimately transformative.

Daily activity was anchored by class and observation. Time was spent taking classes at Taylor with Robert Battle (former Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Richard Chen See (Director of Licensing at Taylor), complemented by yoga, learning about Kinotec, and ballet at Steps on Broadway to support the physical intensity of the return to movement.​ A portion of the residency was dedicated to archival research within the Paul Taylor collection. This included a focus on works from the 1950s, when Taylor was performing with Martha Graham, through to the early 1960s when he transitioned fully into choreography, and extending into later decades. This immersion offered a detailed view of the evolution of Taylor’s movement language, musicality, and choreographic voice. Reflecting on this trajectory, alongside the legacies of Graham and Cunningham, provided perspective on the breadth of possibilities within dance-making, and affirmed the continued evolution of Eliot Smith’s own choreographic voice.

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Alongside research, studio time was dedicated to the development of HUNTER at Taylor Dance West. Working within this environment, shaped by decades of dance history, provided both context and momentum for the emerging work.

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Beyond the studio, the residency included a broad range of performance experiences. These included the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, a performance by the Taylor company, and Pond Way by Merce Cunningham, performed by students of the Juilliard School. Each offered a distinct perspective on legacy, form, and artistic identity.

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Another performance was at the Guggenheim as part of Works & Process. The programme featured In the Folds of Her Purple by Xin Ying, alongside a reimagined presentation of Lamentation (1930) by Martha Graham, performed by Janet Eilber (Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company) without its traditional fabric. The evening explored the intersection of choreography, technology, and digital legacy, offering insight into how historical works may evolve in contemporary contexts.

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During the residency, Eliot also visited the new studios of the Martha Graham Dance Company on Broadway, ahead of their official opening, an important development for the future of the company and its ongoing work.

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The residency concluded with an informal studio sharing for members of the Taylor staff. Though brief, just two minutes of material, this moment offered a window into the early stages of HUNTER, reflecting a week of exploration, questioning, and experimentation.

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​Eliot says:
 

“This period at Taylor has been both physically demanding and creatively generative. It has provided space not only to begin a new work, but to reconnect with core aspects of practice, process, and artistic inspiration. Looking more closely at Taylor’s choreographic development has expanded my own perspective by widening my understanding of lineage while deepening my commitment to refining a personal movement vocabulary.

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Rather than working towards replication, this engagement has been about clarity: recognising the influence of Graham and Taylor, while allowing that lineage to inform, rather than define, my own choreographic voice. In many ways, it reflects Taylor’s own departure from Graham in the 1960s, an understanding that evolution in dance requires both inheritance and departure in equal measure.

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This experience has reinforced for me the new possibilities for continued development as a choreographer. This process is on-going."

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ESD extends sincere thanks to the Paul Taylor Dance Foundation and The Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement for their support and generosity throughout the residency, and to all supporters who make this work possible.

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Coming soon
A behind-the-scenes glimpse into HUNTER, captured during the residency, will be available to view from 8 May for 48 hours. For tickets and to find out more click here.