It's April of an election year in Pennsylvania, and two caravans of vehicles are crisscrossing the Commonwealth. One camp travels in six SUVs and two Hertz rental trucks; the other in a more economical fleet of just two minivans.

Hillary and Obama? Hardly. The vans and SUVs belong to Paul Taylor Dance Company and its junior troupe, Taylor 2. Thanks to an $87,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York-based modern dance companies are performing in 18 Pennsylvania towns and cities. The senior company will be in Harrisburg this weekend, while Taylor 2 stops in Willow Street April 24.

As the dancers have discovered, the roads through Pennsylvania rarely run smooth, with or without would-be presidents in the way. The main company has been lost in Bloomsburg (thanks to a detour not listed on Mapquest), snubbed by former fan Chelsea Clinton (she's busy, they know) and forced to change performance dates by comedian-turned-political commentator Stephen Colbert.

"It's a little serendipitous," laughs John Tomlinson, the general manager out on the road with the dancers. "Unfortunately, this tour was planned long ago, before anyone had any idea that Pennsylvania would be important to the political campaign."

The tour was to have been anchored by a three-day residency in Philadelphia April 17-19. Then, Comedy Central called the University of Pennsylvania and literally bought out the Annenberg Center for live tapings of "The Colbert Report." The dance company agreed to return in June instead.

It's unclear whether the overbearing television host felt any remorse for displacing a troupe of modern dancers. Colbert's press representative did not return a call seeking comment, however, in a press release announcing the Philadelphia tapings, Colbert said, "The road to the Democratic nomination goes through Pennsylvania and I intend to make my show the decisive pothole on that road!"

Strong words. But what does Paul Taylor, the 77-year-old choreographer, think about his companies battling with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the time and attention of Pennsylvanians?

"He's sort of annoyed, actually," Tomlinson said. "Paul Taylor, for the most part, shies away from politics. He prefers that art be for art's sake."

Since parting ways with choreographer Martha Graham and founding his own company in 1954, Paul Taylor has been creating dances that are provocative, if not political. When the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts went to apply for an NEA grant that would fund a dance tour, Taylor's companies were the obvious choice.

"The guy is a genius and an icon," said Philip Horn, the council's executive director.

Taylor, who was born in Westmoreland County, chose the repertoire for the Pennsylvania tour himself, carefully plotting out his pieces so that each performance presents a cross-spectrum of his work. The choreographer is fond of saying that he only has so many dances in him, and each one generally falls into a category like farce, high-concept or one of the "ugly" pieces.

One of those ugly dances, "Banquet of Vultures," is on tonight's program in Harrisburg. All the dancers will be costumed in combat fatigues with the exception of one man left standing in a dark suit and red tie. That man is George W. Bush, Taylor told audiences after the "Banquet of Vultures" Washington, D.C., premiere in 2006, surprising people who thought the choreographer preferred to stay out of politics.

The angular movement and dark imagery of "Banquet" will be balanced by the buoyant beauty of "Esplanade," Taylor's signature work from 1975. The main company will perform it tonight, as will Taylor 2 when it visits Willow Street. What's so amazing about "Esplanade" is that dancers move like the young lovers as imagined by the average human. The ballet kingdom may be filled with romantic adagios, but would a woman in love really show it by tip-toeing around like a Sugar Plum Fairy? No, she would put on a pretty dress and leap gracefully into the arms of her waiting partner.

And in "Esplanade," that's what Paul Taylor's dancers do, with unearthly grace.

Horn, for his part, is thrilled and honored that so many people in Pennsylvania are having a chance to see this, and more than 20 other Taylor dances.

"I want people to leave any performance revived, invigorated and refreshed, but also different," he said. "You cannot look at a performance of Paul Taylor's caliber and not leave in awe of those dancers."

Paul Taylor Dance Company, today and Sat., 8 p.m., Rose Lehrman Arts Center, One HACC Drive, Harrisburg, $20-$32, 231-ROSE.