What My Teacher Taught Me: Paul Taylor's Christina Lynch Markham
March 3, 2015

Markham, left, in Taylor’s Sea Lark with Sean Mahoney

Long Island native Christina Lynch Markham, now a member of Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, had all but decided to study veterinarian medicine in college when she had a sudden change of heart. She credits her high school dance teacher, Catherine Murphy, with helping her discover modern dance and realize she could make it her career.

“She was the one who told me that art could be expressive; she taught me what a contraction was; she encouraged me to choreograph. She made our class go into the city—the city seemed so scary—to see the Graham company perform. When we came back, she had us write reports and watch videos, too. After I changed my mind about college, she was kind enough to coach me on my audition plan. And it was at Hofstra University, where I studied dance, that I learned about Paul Taylor.”

Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance opens its 2015 season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, March 10.

 

Photo by Whitney Browne, courtesy of PTDC

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