OU Hosts Paul Taylor Dance Company Residency, Performance

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NORMAN, OKLA. – Emmy Wildermuth found her path as a freshman at the University of Oklahoma during a performance of Skin Walkers, a moment that eventually would lead her to the internationally recognized Paul Taylor Dance Company.

“I remember the spotlight hitting my chest and face and thinking, this is exactly what I want to be doing,” Wildermuth said. “I didn’t stop smiling for hours. I just knew.”

This month, Wildermuth returns to OU not as a student, but as a professional dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She will perform on May 10 at the Elsie C. Brackett Theatre as part of a multi-day residency that connects students and the community with professional dance.

Oklahoma in Motion: A Paul Taylor Dance Company Residency runs May 7–10 and centers on more than a performance. OU students will take master classes with company members, while K–12 and community dancers will participate in free workshops through a partnership with Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

“Residencies like this are essential to our impact – allowing students, faculty and audiences to connect meaningfully with our company and its vast repertory,” said the company’s artistic director, Michael Novak. “It is especially rewarding to see that come full circle with Emmy Wildermuth, who first encountered Taylor repertory through the OU partnership and is now a member of the company.”

That impact is exactly what OU’s School of Dance hopes to create for students. “This residency brings professional modern dance to Norman and Central Oklahoma in a way that goes far beyond the stage,” said Michael Bearden, director of the OU School of Dance. “Students and community members aren’t just watching – they are learning directly from professional artists, engaging with the work and seeing what’s possible for their own futures.”

At OU, those experiences helped shape Wildermuth’s path. Another moment came during her senior year, when students learned and performed Cloven Kingdom with a member of the Taylor company. Years later, she would perform that same work again, this time as a company member.

“That connection was my entry point,” she said. “It showed me what the work felt like from the inside.”

After graduating from OU in 2021 with degrees in modern dance performance and professional writing, the Littleton, Colorado, native moved to New York City. She auditioned for the Taylor company alongside nearly 400 dancers competing for a limited number of spots.

Wildermuth almost didn’t go. “A friend told me, ‘Why wouldn’t you give them the chance to say yes?’ ” she said. “That stuck with me.”

Wildermuth was ultimately selected and has spent the past two years touring internationally across the United States, Europe and Asia.

Returning to OU now feels especially meaningful, Wildermuth said. “It’s incredibly special to come back and stand in front of students who are where I once was,” she said. “To tell them it’s possible and to encourage them to stay open and curious.”

That openness is something Wildermuth often emphasizes. “I thought I would be a ballet dancer,” she said. “But OU expanded my understanding of what dance could be. If I hadn’t stayed open, I wouldn’t be here.”

The upcoming performance features a range of works, including Airs, known for expansive, flowing movement; Esplanade, rooted in everyday motion; and Under the Rhythm, a jazz-influenced work that emphasizes group energy and connection.

Wildermuth hopes audiences will take something simple but powerful away from the experience.

“Dance offers a kind of escape,” she said. “For a couple of hours, you can just sit in a dark theater and experience joy and connection. It’s something you share in that moment – and then it’s gone. That’s what makes it special.”

The residency builds on OU’s existing dance programming and expands opportunities for students and the community.

For Wildermuth, it’s something more personal.

“It feels like everything has come full circle,” she said. “I found my path here. And now I get to come back and be part of someone else finding theirs.”

The Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma produces more than 400 concerts, recitals, plays, musicals, operas and dance performances annually. Learn more at ou.edu/finearts.