Paul Taylor Dance Company and Brad Paisley Wrap Up An Appalachian Summer Festival

Paul Taylor Dance Company and Brad Paisley Wrap Up An Appalachian Summer Festival

A trailblazing modern dance company and a country music superstar close out the festival’s milestone 40th anniversary season in spectacular fashion, July 23-27.

BOONE, NC — An Appalachian Summer Festival concludes its milestone 40th anniversary season with performances by two legends of their respective genres: Paul Taylor Dance Company, one of the modern dance world’s most celebrated troupes who is returning to the festival for a remarkable eighth time on July 24, and country-Americana singer-songwriter Brad Paisley, who brings his Son of the Mountains World tour to Boone to play in front of a packed Kidd Brewer Stadium for the festival finale on July 27. A special behind-the-scenes informal chat with some of PTDC’s artistic visionaries will be held on July 23. For information and tickets to the festival’s final events, visit AppSummer.org.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES: “On Longevity,” with Paul Taylor Dance Company

Tuesday, July 23 | 2pm | FREE

Turchin Center for the Visual Arts Lecture Hall

Paul Taylor Dance Company Artistic Director Michael Novak and Lisa Conlon, Director of Tour Engagements, provide a “behind-the-scenes” look at touring over the years with the 70-year-old PTDC, one of the most revolutinary and dynamic dance companies of our time. In preparation for the July 24 performance, Novak and Conlon will answer questions to help you enjoy and expand your experience.

PTDC has been transforming the landscape of modern dance since 1954, when choreographer Paul Taylor first showcased his genius with five other dancers in Manhattan. That modest performance marked the beginning of a profound and prolific creative output that shaped the future of American modern dance. Taylor created an astonishing 147 dances, work that was both deeply rooted in his own history and in collaboration with other modern dance pioneers including Louis Horst, José Limón, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham. And he never stopped pushing the boundaries of modern dance. Taylor’s love of painting, poetry, and nature provided a rich palette for exploring the human condition, whose dark and light elements he depicted in transcendent ways. Novak and company carry forward that brightly burning torch, continuing to showcase works by the company’s namesake that move audiences, lending them new perspective on the joy, pain, humor and tragedy that bind us together.

Don’t miss this exclusive discussion about the enduring legacy, longevity and future of Paul Taylor Dance Company.

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY: “AIRS, SYZYGY, ESPLANADE”

Wednesday, July 24 | 7pm | $25-$45; $10 children 12 and younger

Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts

Paul Taylor Dance Company, one of the world’s most innovative contemporary dance ensembles, has been trailblazing and transforming modern dance since 1954. Founder Paul Taylor (1930-2018) created 147 dances that cover a broad range of topics, themes, and moods. This summer, PTDC, now under the artistic leadership of Michael Novak, performs a program of Taylor’s energetic “Syzygy,” his awe-inspiring “Airs,” and the iconic choreographer’s masterpiece, “Esplanade,” which was inspired by the sight of a girl running to catch a bus.

Taylor, who set works to music ranging from classical and early jazz to original abstract scores and popular music, had a particularly symbiotic relationship with classical music, especially that of baroque composers. His breakthrough “Aureole,” which was set to Handel, established a voice that merged the freedom and abstraction of modern movement to classical movement. This unity of modern dance and classical music by composers ranging from Bach to Feldman continued to be amplified over decades in masterworks like the brilliant “Esplanade” and “Airs,” which we are delighted to present as part of this special program.

“Taylor, one of the most astute social observers in any art form, has a knack for taking the dominant dance form of an era and . . . twisting it into a commentary on the people and their lives.” —The Washington Post

BRAD PAISLEY: SON OF THE MOUNTAINS WORLD TOUR, with special guest TIGIRLILY GOLD

Saturday, July 27 | 7pm | $30-$125

Kidd Brewer Stadium

For more than 20 years, Paisley has been one of country music’s most talented and decorated male singer-songwriters, winning numerous awards, including three Grammys, two American Music Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 14 Country Music Association Awards, including an Entertainer of the Year honor. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, the Glen Dale, West Virginia native has written 21 of his 25 No. 1 hits, his past works amassing nearly five billion streams. The international tour — which has included stops in Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, and Scotland — was launched in promotion of his latest album, Son of the Mountains, which includes “Same Here,” “So Many Summers,” the title track, and “The Medicine Will.”

Country music sister act Tigirlily Gold will open the concert. The Nashville-based dui won their first ACM Award for New Duo/Group of the Year in May 2024. With tens of millions of streams on hits such as “I Tried a Ring On” and “Shoot Tequila,” “is poised to become country music’s next superstar duo.”

View the full schedule at AppSummer.org. Purchase tickets in person at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts box office (733 Rivers St), online at AppSummer.org, or by phone at 828.262.4046.

Tickets for An Appalachian Summer Festival

With ticket prices ranging from $10-$125, as well as several free events and discounts for both children, students, and App State faculty/staff, the festival offers unique opportunities for residents and visitors alike to create arts experiences suited to their individual artistic tastes and budgets. Purchase in person at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts box office (733 Rivers St), online at AppSummer.org, or by phone at 828-262-4046.

About An Appalachian Summer Festival

An Appalachian Summer Festival, a monthlong whirlwind of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and film programming, is one of the region’s leading arts festivals, bringing more than 27,000 visitors to the High Country each summer. Presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, this annual celebration of the performing and visual arts is held every July in venues across the university campus, and features an eclectic, diverse mix of music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film programming. An Appalachian Summer Festival began in 1984 as a chamber music series, and retains strong roots in classical music, combined with a variety of other programming geared to almost every artistic taste and preference. The festival has been named one of the “Top Twenty Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society. For more information, call the Schaefer Center Box Office at 828-262-4046, visit in person at 733 Rivers Street, or explore AppSummer.org.

Corporate Sponsors

Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer, App State Campus Store, Broyhill Family Foundation, Appalachian Home Care LLC, Explore Boone, Goodnight Brothers, HighStreet Insurance Partners/Chuck & Anna Eyler, Mast General Store, SkyBest Communications, Creekside Electronics, Grandview Catering & Events, Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Courtyard by Marriott, Graystone Lodge, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Holiday Inn Express-Boone

Media Sponsors

WBTV, WCYB, PBS North Carolina, Our State Magazine, The Mountain Times, Watauga Democrat, WNC Magazine, Creative Loafing Charlotte, Yes! Weekly, Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News & Record, Triad City Beat, WZJS 100.7 and WATA 96.5, WHKY 1290AM and 102.3FM, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WASU 90.5FM, and WKSK The Farm

Restaurant Sponsors

Coyote Kitchen, The Local, Lost Province, Pepper’s, and Timberlake’s Restaurant