Researching Jose Limon has been such an honor to do. His history is so rich with experience and has been beyond interesting. Jose Limon is important to me, not only because he is apart of my dance history, but he is a part of a chain of choreographers that brought something a little new to the table. On a more personal note, I think Jose Limon's movement in his work is great to watch and even more fun to do.
In class with Ed Burgess, who was in the Limon Company, I see a lot of relation in movement quality that we are given to do. It's all very "Limon" like at times. The fall and recover, releasing the body into and out of the floor, and the almost dramatic feel of the movement we are given relates so closely to Jose Limon's movement type.
I think Jose Limon should be remembered always because he is a big part of the dance history chain. No, he is not the founder, nor the latest choreographer, but he was a link from one to another. Jose came out of the direction of Doris Humphrey and Jose lives on through his company, influences people still today. He is a link to the bigger picture and should be greatly appreciated as someone to look back on.
Today, the Jose Limon Dance Company is still performing Limon's original works and is creating new work under Carla Maxwell, who worked closely with Limón before becoming Artistic Director in 1978. The Company’s repertory, which balances classic works with commissions from contemporary choreographers, is of an unparalleled breadth, creating unique experiences for audiences around the world.
This timeline of Limon's career below just goes to show how he still is important in the dance scene today.
1908:
José Arcadio Limón is born in Culiacan, Mexico
1915:
Limón’s family moves to the United States; first to Arizona, and then to California.
1928:
Limón moves to New York City.
1929:
Limón sees his first dance performance and enrolls in the Humphrey-Weidman School.
1930:
Limón appears in Americana, a musical revue on Broadway featuring dances by Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman.
1937:
Limón creates his first major choreographic work, Danzas Mexicanas, while in residency at Mills College as part of the Bennington Festival.
1943:
Limón is drafted into the U.S. Army and choreographs several works for the Special Services. He is discharged in 1945.
1946:
Limón forms his own dance company with Doris Humphrey, his mentor and teacher, as Artistic Director and co-choreographer.
1947:
The José Limón Dance Company has its debut performance at New York’s Belasco Theater. The New York Times hails Limón as “the finest male dancer of his time” and favorably reviews the choreographic works of both Limón and Humphrey.
1948:
The Company appears at the first Connecticut College American Dance Festival, where it remains in residence each summer until 1973.
1949:
Limón creates and premieres The Moor’s Pavane, a masterwork that remains one of the most widely performed modern dances in the world.
1950:
Limón receives his first Dance Magazine Award, for The Moor’s Pavane.
1951:
Limón begins his association with the Juilliard School in New York, where he will teach and choreograph until his death.
1954:
The Company inaugurates the U.S. State Department’s International Exchange Program with a tour to South America.
1957:
Limón receives his second Dance Magazine Award.
1958:
Doris Humphrey dies on December 29th, marking the end of a remarkable 30-year creative partnership with Limón.
1963:
The Company is the first dance company to perform at Lincoln Center, in Philharmonic Hall.
1964:
Limón receives a Capezio Dance Award, and is appointed Artistic Director of Lincoln Center’s American Dance Theater, a publicly supported modern dance repertory company.
1965:
The original cast of The Moor’s Pavane is invited to perform at the White House for the Johnson Administration.
1968:
The José Limón Dance Foundation is incorporated, establishing a non-profit organization that is dedicated to Limón’s work in the dance field.
1969:
Limón begins setting his dances on other companies: American Ballet Theater produces The Moor’s Pavane and The Traitor, and the Royal Swedish Ballet presents an all-Limón program. Limón makes his final stage appearance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, performing “The Leader” in The Traitor and “The Moor” in The Moor’s Pavane.
1972:
The Company presents its final season under Limón’s direction and premieres his final work, Carlota. He dies of cancer on December 2nd.
1973:
The Company tours the Soviet Union; Ruth Currier is appointed Artistic Director, and begins to shape it into a modern dance repertory company.
1975:
Carla Maxwell is appointed Assistant Artistic Director
1977:
The Company celebrates its 30th anniversary at New York’s Roundabout Theater.
1978:
Carla Maxwell is appointed Artistic Director of the José Limón Dance Foundation, and the Company presents its NYC season at City Center—Roots of American Dance—which establishes it as a dance company with a repertory from a range of choreographers.
1982:
The Company’s NYC performances are part of the Joyce Theater’s inaugural season.
1985:
The Limón Institute is formed as a component of the José Limón Dance Foundation to oversee the licensing of Limón dances and offer classes in Limón Technique.
1986:
The Company drops “José” from its title, re-naming itself the Limón Dance Company to emphasize its status as a repertory company.
1994:
The Company establishes a formal presence in San Jose, CA, performing annually and conducting education/outreach activities.
1995:
The Company performs for the Clinton Administration at the White House.
1996:
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts presents The Dance Heroes of José Limón, a retrospective exhibition on Limón’s life and work. The exhibition is permanently installed in the National Dance Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY, and Limón is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
1997:
The Company celebrates its 50th Anniversary and performs in Sarajevo.
1998:
Artistic Director Carla Maxwell is honored with a Bessie, New York’s performance Award; Executive Director Mark Jones receives the Arts & Business Council’s Arts Managers Excellence Award.
1999:
Limón’s autobiographical writings are edited by Lynn Garafola and published as An Unfinished Memoir by Wesleyan University Press.
2000:
Limón is named one of “America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures” by the Dance Heritage Coalition.
2002:
The Company premieres Carla Maxwell’s re-creation of Limón’s Psalm at the Cultural Olympiad in Salt Lake City, UT. Company dancer Nina Watt receives a Bessie award.
2004:
Limón: A Life Beyond Words documentary film broadcast nationally and released on DVD
2005:
Limón Dance Company's Kristen Foote named in Dance Magazine's Top 25 To Watch
2006:
The Company celebrates its 60th Anniversary and Carla Maxwell's 40 years with the Company. Company dancer Kurt Douglas named in Dance Magazine's Top 25 To Watch; Artistic Associate Roxane D'Orleans Juste receives Bessie Award.
What makes a work of art endure?In the case of dance, where the work is transmitted anew each time it is presented, often by dancers who were not the originators of the parts they perform, it must contain elements that transcend the specifics of the moment.In other words, at the heart of a dance there needs be an expression of feeling, emotion that speaks in a way that succeeding generations can appreciate.
A demonstration of choreographic timelessness can be found in the works of Jose Limon, whose artistic legacy is being preserved and renewed by the Limon Dance Company.A recent program by the company gave a sampling of the Limon esthetic and its contemporary embodiment.
Limon Esthetic Limon was a towering and charismatic man who believed first and foremost in the ability to communicate through his art. He once described his vision of modern dance as "a state of mind, a cognizance recognition of the necessity of the art of the dance to come to terms with our time." Limon training is not an examination of the past; it uses timeless truths to enable dancers to develop both as artists and as technicians.
The program presented by the Limon Dance Company began with one of Humphrey’s works for the company.Invention (1949) for a man and two women, weaves flowing combinations of the three dancers to a piano composition by Norman Lloyd.This is “pure” dance, where the movement is the object.Humphrey favored open arms in large gestures, which she contrasts with a coy, flirtatious solo for one woman and a more somber duet for the man and the other woman.The costumes, designed by Limon’s wife, Pauline Lawrence, reveal the interconnections of that period.
Limón’s choreographic works were quickly recognized as masterpieces and the Company itself became a landmark of American dance. Many of his dances—There is a Time, Missa Brevis, Psalm, The Winged—are considered classics of modern dance.
Limón was a consistently productive choreographer until his death in 1972—he choreographed at least one new piece each year—and he was also an influential teacher and advocate for modern dance. He was in residence each summer at the American Dance Festival, a key faculty member in The Juilliard School's Dance Division beginning in 1953, and the director of Lincoln Center's American Dance Theatre from 1964-65. Limón received two Dance Magazine Awards, the Capezio Award and honorary doctorates from four universities in recognition of his achievements. He was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, The Dance Heroes of José Limón (Fall 1996), and in 1997 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY. His autobiographical writings, An Unfinished Memoir, were edited by Lynn Garafola and published in 1999 by Wesleyan University Press.
I think the biggest influence and collaboration in Jose Limon's artistic shaping was Doris Humphrey when Jose went to study with her and Charles Weidman, he learned a great deal of what he went off to use in his choreography.
Humphrey's greatest contribution came from her thought of dance as existing in an arc between two deaths: the body lying prone or standing firmly erect--both stable, both lacking in theatrical excitement. Kinetic interest was stirred when the body, venturing from its position of stability, encountered the pull of gravity, defied it, and triumphantly reclaimed its equilibrium. The theory of 'fall and recover,' as it was called, was at once a pure movement idea and a dramatic concept. The threat motivated action that engendered designs in space and time; it also symbolized the eternal conflict between man's longing for security and his desire to risk the dangers of the unknown. In Humphrey choreography, he always dared the dangerous adventure and always emerged victorious. (http://www.aristos.org/whatart/limon.htm)
Not sure what exactly is happening in the world when Jose Limon was choreographing but by researching a few of his pieces I notice what may have inspired him.
The Moors Pavane 1949: captures the drama and passion of Shakespeare's Othello in a timeless portrayal of love, jealousy, and betrayal.
The Traitor 1954: Like the arch-betrayer Judas Iscariot, the protagonist in this dance drama symbolizes all those tormented men who, loving too much, must hate; these men who to our own day must turn against their loyalties, friends and fatherlands, and in some fearful cataclysm of the spirit, betray them to the enemy. Against a music score of dissonant violence, passion and tenderness, the tragedy of Judas is portrayed as if it were taking place in our time.
There is a Time 1956: "To every season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" -Ecclesiastes Chapter 3. The entire work is, both choreographically and musically, a theme with variations. Limón used as his theme a large circle, which, at the opening of the work, fills the stage and moves majestically as if to evoke the interminable passage of time. This circle is seen repeatedly in many guises, rhythms and dramatic shapes, always making allusion to the text from Ecclesiastes and its evocation of human experience.
A Choreographic Offering 1964: This work was created as a tribute to Limón's mentor, Doris Humphrey. The piece is based on movements from her dances, and contains variations, paraphrases and motifs from 14 Humphrey works.
Chaconne 1971: The Chaconne as a dance form originated in New Spain, now Mexico, as a robust and raucous dance. Bach employed the strict musical form of the Chaconne but enriched it with powerful emotional implications. Limón tried to capture in his dance both the formal austerity and the profound feeling of the music.
Dances for Isadora 1971: Homage to Isadora Duncan with five solo dances to Chopin. "In five solos Mr. Limón evokes both the actual images of Duncan's politically revolutionary dances and the equally real melodrama of her biography." - Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times, October 1972
The Traitor 1954: Like the arch-betrayer Judas Iscariot, the protagonist in this dance drama symbolizes all those tormented men who, loving too much, must hate; these men who to our own day must turn against their loyalties, friends and fatherlands, and in some fearful cataclysm of the spirit, betray them to the enemy. Against a music score of dissonant violence, passion and tenderness, the tragedy of Judas is portrayed as if it were taking place in our time.
(http://www.limon.org/Dance/Repertory.php)
In just these few dances that Limon has created I noticed that he is inspired by many things; he explores dance history researching Isadora Duncan and Doris Humphrey, in the dances he created in honor of them and their movement. Limon gets inspired off of greek mythology and stories and scripture in the Bible. He explores jealousy, love, hate, friendship and loyalty in many of his pieces. He also sets things choreographically and musically to make the piece a dance!
He collaborated with many people. Leaving the Humphrey-Weidman company, Limon worked with May O’Donnell to create War Lyrics. O’Donnell and Limon also co-choreographed Curtain Riser, This Story is Legend and Three Inventories on Casey Jones. This was also the year when Limon married Pauline Lawrence, October 3, 1942. The partnership with O’Donnell dissolved the following year and Limon created Chaconne for a program at Humphrey-Weidman. Limon’s final appearance on Broadway was Balanchine’s Rosalinda in which he partnered with Mary Ellen Moylan. 1943, Limon and Humphrey created dances on American and folk themes at the Studio Theatre before Limon was drafted into the Army in April. A year later he was collaborating with composers Frank Loesser and Alex North and choreographed several works for U.S. Army Special Services. He choreographed Concerto Grosso in 1945 and was discharged from the Army that December. Even the Army had an influence on his creating choreography!
In 1928 when Jose moved to New York to study art he began to feel that he couldn't make anything of value because of the medium had been mined out and it was by chance when his girlfriend took him to see the dancer, Harald Kreutzburg perform. NOTE: Kreutzburg was a German dancer and choreographer who trained at the Dresden Ballet School, Kreutzburg also studied dance with Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban. Apparently, Limon was stunned; "Suddenly, onto the stage, born on the impetus of the heroic rhapsody, bounded an ineffable creature and his partner. Instantly and irrevocably, I was transformed. I knew with shocking suddenness that until then I had not been ALIVE or, rather that I had been unborn... now I did not want to remain on this earth unless I learned to do what this man was doing."
I suppose a big thanks to his girlfriend, Limon started studying all the dance he could. Limon enrolled in the Humphrey-Weidman school. He learned basic technique from Doris Humphrey and pantomime and expression from Weidman. Limon would attribute his primary stylistic influences to Isadora Duncan and Harald Kreutzberg.
Limon was a compassionate individual, who felt deeply the sorrows and injustices visited upon people. His masterpiece, The Moor’s Pavane, created for his company in 1949 and still in the active repertory of many ballet companies today, is a distillation of the Othello story reduced to four characters: Othello, Iago, Desdemona and her servant. It is a model of economy in its swift delineation of the characters and the essential conflict. Its power derives from the clarity and brevity with which it is presented. The work is a tribute to the effect Doris Humphrey had on Limon. She was his constant editor, always ready to help him look for the essential in movement, and to reach for the most direct mode of expression. In the piece none of the characters ever leave the stage. Limon knew he couldn't get all the politics and details of the play into his piece. What interested him particularly was the subject of jealousy and the use of the pavane (a slow, stately dance from the 16th century, probably originating in Italy). He liked the formality and ceremony of the pavane at the center of the stage. In the corner of our minds and hearts lies the drama. The pavane never ends regardless of what is happening: A court dance is transformed into a daily dance.
Watch Jose!-- Moor's Pavane Exceprt--
"THE FORM IS THE MESSAGE. HE UNDERSTOOD THAT VERY
WELL. HE HAD A FANTASTIC SENSE OF FORM."
"Jose always knew what he wanted," Condodina said. (Condodina was a member of the Limon company in the 1960s and early 1970s, the last generation of dancers who worked with Limon.) "He saw us as instruments but would adapt his vision to our DNA. Often there were conversations back and forth about you as an instrument and his goal. His works adapt well to different people. In setting his dances, it is important to be as open-minded as he was."
Interesting!! Etude, a three minute solo male exercise in Limon's movement vocabulary, created by company artistic director, Carla Maxwell for the 2002 Winter Olympics dance education series, emphasized upward, searching gestures and flowing turns, where the arms seemed to become entangled in the vortex of the turn.
Jose Limon-- (January 12, 1908 – December 2, 1972)
Jose Arcadio Limon was born January 12, 1908 in Culiacán, Mexico. Jose was the first of 11 other siblings in his family. In 1915 Jose and his family moved to the United States. After Jose graduated from Lincoln High School, in California he entered the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as an art major. Limón moved to New York City in 1928 after a year at UCLA. It was here that he saw his first dance program, "What I saw simply and irrevocably changed my life. I saw the dance as a vision of ineffable power. A man could, with dignity and towering majesty, dance... dance as Michelangelo's visions dance and as the music of Bach dances." Jose then began to study under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Limon's talent was immediately evident and he began performing with Humphery and Weidman's company from 1930- 1940 and started choreographing himself. After ten years with the company, Jose Limon served in World War II and after, decided to start his own company, the Limon Dance Company in 1947 with Doris Humphrey was his artistic director. Jose's choreography shows a modern dance expression, defined structures. His works seem to be very athletic and dramatized. One of his most celebrated works; The Moor’s Pavane (1949) a haunting dance based on Shakespeare's Othello. His many other dances include La Malinche (1949), There Is a Time (1956), and The Unsung (1970). In 1950 his company became the first major U.S. modern dance group to perform in Europe; four years later it traveled to South America, and subsequently it toured worldwide. Limón’s choreographic works were quickly recognized as masterpieces and the Company itself became a landmark of American dance. Many of his dances—There is a Time, Missa Brevis, Psalm, The Winged—are considered classics of modern dance. Limon was an active choreographer until his death. He choreographed at least one new piece each year and was also an influential teacher and advocate for modern dance. He was in residence each summer at the American Dance Festival, a key faculty member in The Juilliard School's Dance Division beginning in 1953, and the director of Lincoln Center's American Dance Theatre from 1964-65. Limón received two Dance Magazine Awards, the Capezio Award and honorary doctorates from four universities in recognition of his achievements. He was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, The Dance Heroes of José Limón (Fall 1996), and in 1997 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY. His autobiographical writings, An Unfinished Memoir, were edited by Lynn Garafola and published in 1999 by Wesleyan University Press. Today the José Limón Dance Foundation maintains an active dance company as well as facilities for teaching, licensing, and other activities.
Jose Limon Institute
The Jose Limon Institute is the official school of the Limon Dance Company. The technique is based on principles of weight, fall and recovery as established by Jose Limon and his mentors, Doris Humphrey and Chalres Weidman. Students can study classical American modern dance through the Limon technique, in-depth, with current and former members of the company such as: Joe Alegado, Colin Connor, Alan Danielson, Laura Flowers, Gary Masters, Jim May, Joh-Mario Sevilla, Risa Steinberg, Malou Thein and Kathy Wildberger. The large studio at the Institute allows for students from all over the world to study composition, performance skills and repertory through several workshops. The Limon technique can also be studied at Dance Space and Peridance.-- www.ny.com/dance/joselimon.html
The world around me seems to always be going, with a busy schedule of school, work, family, boyfriend, and friends. I choose to still live at home to save money. I have a semi- large family, so there’s always someone around. With a new semester at school life and scheduling is crazy. I need organization to survive. I get to see my friends and competition everyday. I teach at a local studio, nearby my house, which is demanding yet a great time to teach little ones my passion. Time with my boyfriend is quite precious, seeing we are both so busy. The world around me seems fast paced, and competitive. I usually try to remain un-stressed and think about things in the long run and how this “busy now” will aid in my future.
What is your dance lineage?
I was put in dance at the young age of two, danced at various studios around time. I trained for several years at the Milwaukee Ballet School, and Danceworks throughout high school. After high school, I knew college was in my future so I decided to become a dancer major and further expand my dance knowledge. So far I’ve learned so many great things. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Alberto Del Saz, from the Nikolais Loius Foundation, that was a great experience! And I am currently working in a piece with Ed Burgess, which is just as exciting and fun. My influences are mostly my teachers, and the things they teach me. The world around me also affects my influence in creating works.
What are your interests?
My interests in dance can vary. I love seeing new things that I’ve never seen before. I like organic movement and enjoy fun and comedic works. Strong technique is also a plus, to watch. I really enjoy gestural and pedestrian movement. There’s something about seeing stuff that people do everyday, in a new form on stage. I think most people can closely relate to movement that they can or usually do. I love the works of Hubbard Street Dance, and Batsheva Dance Company. My teacher, Ed Burgess really interests me. His tone of movement is an attraction. I’m interested in things that look unusual or abstract. Creating a curiosity for the audience is fun.
Why should “the public” care about your work?
I think “the public” should care about my work because I feel that I would never just do anything without a purpose. My goal would be to attract people to my work and make it entertaining/interesting to all types of people. One goal in my works would be to please the audience or “the public” and create something I’d feel means a lot to me, and invest a lot of myself into, so I’d hope because of that they’d care about my work. More than just the “public” wanting to appreciate my work, it would be very important to me to have my community, classmates, and teachers care about my work. My community because they are the most local viewers, and I’d hope they’d support me. My classmates, because they are the working alongside me, we are here to support each other. And my teachers, because they are my inspiration.
Hello. My name is Sarah Teschendorf and I am currently a student at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, earning my BFA in dance. I have been dancing since the very young age of two and a half. Dance has always been apart of my life, I would say it has been my first love. I am currently interested in exploring the dance world around me. I love to go see shows and new dance works. Creating and choreographing has just been a blast to learn and do. I enjoy being silly and making people laugh. I am an upbeat and fun personality.
"If words were adequate to describe fully what the dance can do, there would be no reason for all the mighty muscular effort, the discomfort, the sweat and the splendors of that art."- Jose Limon
Enjoy my blog about JOSE LIMON!!
Jó