STEVE PAXTON
The dancer Steve Paxton reminds me of Snyder in many ways. Paxton shares Snyder’s drive to eliminate frills and emotional manipulation. Both Paxton and Snyder helped start an artistic movement: Paxton is one of the founding members of the postmodern dance movement, and Snyder was one of the original beat poets. Both live quiet, isolated lives: Snyder with his family in the California mountains, and Paxton on a New England farm. But while Snyder has been awarded a Pulitzer, Paxton’s accomplishments are unknown to most people.
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If Gary Snyder were to write about Paxton, he might compare him to a figure from medieval China: a sage. Sages lived simply in the wilderness, but their influence was pervasive. The empire was governed by the emperor, aided by his many counselors and thousands of officials. But when the emperor was perplexed by a problem, he was told to go to the wilderness and find the sage. Few people go to see the sage, and most don’t understand his words, but those who do are enriched.
