There’s a lot of history here. In 1959, Taylor was a member of Martha Graham’s company. “Episodes” was an unprecedented joint venture for Graham and Balanchine, the monarchs of modern dance and ballet. But because the Graham portion and Balanchine’s solo for Taylor fell away — and because the solo was restored, under Taylor’s guidance, only after Balanchine’s death, only to fall away again — there are questions of authenticity and influence.

How much Balanchine are we seeing, how much Taylor? How much of what looks like Taylor came from Balanchine?

In performance, the solo is strange and fascinating. The image that has stuck to it is the one that Taylor said Balanchine gave him: a fly in a glass of milk. That’s both illuminating and obscuring. Some of the contorted poses might suggest insects; the unmarked repetitions impart the sensation of being trapped in a loop, desperation increasing. But other moments (staring at fingers, picking up a foot) flash self-awareness, self-examination, self-bewilderment, self-alienation. This is a man, not a bug.

Compared with City Ballet dancers, though, Mr. Trusnovec is another species. His physicality, timing and dramatic projection are all different — brilliant, extraordinarily clear, but bracingly different. Taylor must have stuck out even more. (The effect will likely be softened when Jovani Furlan, a terrific recruit from Miami City Ballet, takes over the role later this month.)