“The dancers performed with a luscious spontaneity … this was alive.”
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of American Modern dance since its inception and is considered one of the world’s greatest dance companies.
Acclaimed for its dramatic expression, technical mastery, and expansive yet nuanced movement, the Limón Dance Company illustrates the timelessness of José Limón’s work and vision. The Company’s repertory, which includes classic works in addition to new commissions from contemporary choreographers, possesses an unparalleled breadth and creates unique experiences for audiences around the world. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dante Puleio, the Limón Dance Company celebrates its 75th anniversary over a 2-year period. He succeeded Colin Conner (Artistic Director, 2016 – 2020) who followed Carla Maxwell, Artistic Director of the Company from 1978-2016 before becoming the Foundation’s first Legacy Director. Numerous honors have been bestowed upon both José Limón and his company, including most recently the White House’s 2008 National Medal of Arts for Lifetime Achievement. Additionally, the Company was the first modern dance group to tour under the auspices of the State Department and to perform at Lincoln Center.
“The dance is a lingua franca common to all men . . . Human movement and gesture can cross oceans and mountains, rivers and deserts, bridge national frontiers and parochialisms.”
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PRESS
“Limón’s choreography anchored each move in the weight of the regal music’s rhythm.”
- “To Everything There is a Season,” danceviewtimes, Martha Sherman, 12/28/2020
“the unique shaping and qualities of the movement, and the dancers’ soothing harmony with one another, kept me captivated.”
- “Limón Dance Company at Kaatsbaan: Time is of the essence,” Dance Informa, Kathryn Boland, 12/19/2020
“The diverse group of dancers whom you often don’t come across in mainstream companies.“
- “The Gift of the Limón Dance Company,” Dance Informa, Demetrius Shields, 5/13/2018
“The choreography of the great José Limón, a Mexican immigrant, with its clean lines, those powerful curved arms and, always, the deep emotional content, is one of our national treasures.”
- “Limon Dance Company performance packed with emotion,“ Reading Eagle, Susan L. Pena, 2/18/2017
“IMPRESSIONS: Limón Dance Company at The Joyce Theater,” Dance Enthusiast, Juan Michael Porter II, 5/10/2017
“A Breakthrough for the Limón Dance Company – Bare Legs,” Dance Magazine, Wendy Perron, 5/9/2017
“Pushing the Past Forward,” Dance Beat, Deborah Jowitt, 5/7/2017
“Under New Management,” danceviewtimes, Mary Cargill, 5/2/2017
“Limón Dance Company Returns With Its Founder’s Vision Intact,” Miami New Times, Diana Dunbar, 11/18/2016
“Limón Dance Company, fiel al cuerpo,” La Republica.pe, Pedro Escribano, 7/8/2016 **SPANISH**
“La Danza Moderna deslumbra Lima de la mano de la Limón Dance Company de EE.UU.,” Agencia EFE, Peru Danza, 7/8/2016 **SPANISH**
“José Limón among four choreographers to be featured on U.S. postage stamps,” Mediatized, 8/28/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Juan José Escalante
p. 212-777-3353
e. jescalante@limon.org
JOSÉ LIMÓN DANCE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR WILL BE DANTE PULEIO
(NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 30, 2020) The José Limón Dance Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dante Puleio as its new Artistic Director. A widely respected former member of the Limón Dance Company for more than a decade, Puleio will succeed Colin Connor on July 1, 2020 to become only the sixth Artistic Director in the Company’s 74-year history.
Puleio trained at the Laban Centre in London, the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, UK and received his BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After a diverse performing career with the Limón Dance Company, national and international Broadway tours, television and movie appearances, he received his MFA from University of California, Irvine. He is currently a Visiting Professor of Dance at the University of Florida, where he teaches and continues to collaborate on a number of projects within the dance community. He states “I am so excited to return to the Limón Dance Company in this way. I am looking forward to collaborating with the Foundation to continue this historical legacy and reimagining José Limón’s vision to reflect these rapidly changing times.”
The José Limón Dance Foundation’s search for a new Artistic Director was guided by a committee of its Board of Directors and a team of independent artistic advisors. After rigorously vetting numerous applicants, the committee and the Limón Board decided on Mr. Puleio. Board Chairman, Ivan Sacks commented “we are very fortunate to have Dante taking on the artistic leadership for us at this challenging time. I am confident his diverse talents, artistic integrity and entrepreneurial spirit will be a powerful force for Limón in the days ahead.”
Colin Connor has been at the Foundation’s artistic helm since 2016. Connor says, “I am happy to pass the torch to Dante Puleio, who brings a broad and forward-thinking vision drawn from his rich past with Limón and his strong educational background. The Legacy is in good hands and the future of the Company is bright.”
Hailed as one of the world’s greatest dance companies, the Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of American Modern dance since its inception in 1946. Having pioneered the idea that it was possible to survive the death of its founder, over the last four decades since Limón’s passing, the Company has created a unique repertory that gives audiences an overview of some of the best and most important choreography, new and old, in the dance world. The Company is the living legacy of the philosophy of theater developed by José Limón and his mentors, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, whose innovative works revolutionized the American Modern Dance. Now in its 74th year, the Company is renowned for its technical mastery and dramatic expression, and demonstrates both the timelessness of José Limón’s works and the humanistic vision that guides the repertory choices. The Company is one of the two components of the José Limón Dance Foundation, which also conducts educational programs and disseminates the Limón repertory through the Limón Institute. In 2008, the President of the United States awarded the Foundation the National Medal of the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.
TESTIMONIALS
“The thirteen dancers embrace the style without the sentimentality that has at times in the past made it feel dated. And their technical and expressive skills bring the Limón choreography to the height of its musicality — here, to the irresistibly danceable music of Bach and Vivaldi — and structure — tightly wedded to that of the music — and the sheer kinetic exuberance the founders had when they were inventing this new style of dancing.”
“…Suddenly they looked more like today…Perhaps under the direction of new Artistic Director, Colin Connor, the definition of humanity in the Limon Company is changing…to renew a kind of rawness that Limon had in 1959.”
“The Limón company dancers look terrific, committed to making accuracy seem like a full-bodied necessity of life… And, lord, how they fly!”
“The dancers performed with a luscious spontaneity…this was alive.”
“The Limón pieces are its backbone. Based on the recent performances, the backbone, supported by the engaged, vibrant, and appealing dancers, is in very good shape.”
“Under (Colin Connor’s) new artistic directorship, the Limón Dance Company returned to the Joyce Theater for its annual season in splendid form and with a look of intoxicating danger. With six new dancers joining its roster and an excellent new leader at the helm, that legacy is as secure as ever. After a long drought of excitement, I am intrigued to see what the company does next.”
REPERTORY
Classic Repertoire Choreographed by José Limón
Chaconne (1942)
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Male or Female Solo
13 minutes
Limón created this solo for himself in 1942, and it has since been performed by Company principal dancers (men and women) and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Limón tried to capture the formal austerity and the profound quality of the music with his choreography, and the solo is stunning when performed with a violinist onstage.
Dances for Isadora (1971)
Music: Frederic Chopin
Five solos for five women
20 minutes
Limón regarded Isadora Duncan as his “dance mother,” and this series of solos evokes different periods of her life by intertwining aspects of her artistic and personal lives.
Mazurkas (1958)
Music: Frederic Chopin
Ensemble work for 3 men and 4 women
20 – 40 minutes
A tribute to the heroic spirit of the Polish people, the work was created in 1958 for three men and four women. Mazurkas was restaged in 1985 for five women and four men, and consists of five solos, three duets, a men’s trio, a women’s quartet, and several group dances. It can be performed with the piano onstage.
Missa Brevis (1958)
Music: Zoltan Kodaly
22 dancers (including 10 men)
40 minutes
Limón’s powerful choreography is a memento to human resilience and the cities destroyed during WWII. The score is written for mixed chorus and organ, and the Company often performs the work with live music in monumental spaces such as Riverside Church in New York City and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
The Moor’s Pavane (1949)
Music: Henry Purcell (arranged by Simon Sadoff)
Quartet for two men and two women
21 minutes
The most well-known of Limón’s works, The Moor’s Pavane has been in the Company’s repertory since its creation in 1949. Based on the tale of Othello, it has been performed by numerous companies, including American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Nureyev and Friends, Paris Opera Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and Royal Swedish Ballet.
Orfeo (1972)
Music: Ludwig von Beethoven
Quintet for 1 man and 4 women
18 minutes
One of Limón’s final works, this lyrical lament of love and loss is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Psalm (1967, revised 2002)
Music: Jon Magnussen
Ensemble work for 11 - 16 dancers
16 – 30 minutes
Originally created in 1967 with music by Eugene Lester, Artistic Director Carla Maxwell recreated Psalm in 2002 with a new score by Jon Magnussen. Weaving together belief, ritual, and history, Psalm is a stunning choreographic achievement, combining powerful ensemble dancing with extraordinary solo work.
The Traitor (1954)
Music: Gunther Schuller
Ensemble work for 8 men
20 minutes
Limón’s interpretation of the story of Judas Iscariot and the betrayal of Christ, this work alluded to the McCarthy era and the Red Scare when it was created in 1954. The protagonist symbolizes those men, who, loving too much, must hate; men who turn against their loyalties, friends, and country to betray them to the enemy.
The Unsung (1971)
Danced in silence
Ensemble work for 6 – 8 men
18 -28 minutes
A tribute to Native American chiefs and the prowess of the male dancer, this unforgettable work is accompanied only by the physical sounds—running, stamping, leaping, breathing—of the movement. Each dancer has a solo in addition to the ensemble work.
The Winged (1966)
Music: Jon Magnussen
Ensemble work for 16-22 dancers
29 – 48 minutes
Created in 1966 for a cast of 19, partly in silence and with incidental music by Hank Johnson, Carla Maxwell restaged it in 1999 with a new score by Jon Magnussen. The work is sectional, and includes solos, duets, a quintet and several large ensemble passages.
There is a Time (1956)
Music: Norman Dello Joio
Ensemble work for 10-16 dancers (at least 4 men)
35 minutes
Originally titled Variations on a Theme, this 1956 masterpiece alludes to a chapter of Ecclesiastes and its evocation of the human experience. Limón himself made several choreographic revisions in his lifetime, including a version for 16 dancers.
EDUCATION ON TOUR
CONNECTION TO MISSION & PROGRAM INSPIRATION
The José Limón Dance Foundation’s mission is to perpetuate the Limón legacy, a humanistic approach to movement and theater, and to extend the vitality of that vision into the future. Central to fulfilling this legacy is our engagement with local youth, developing their minds, imaginations and unique voice, via the cultural education work of the Limón4Kids program. The inspiration and content for Limón4Kids is Limón’s works. Each participant in the Limón4Kids program will be able to connect with themselves, their classmates and the world through dance.
RESIDENCY & CURRICULUM
The Limón4Kids residency program focuses on reaching school youth in grades 2 - 12. Taught by chosen faculty stemming from former and current company members, current Limón Institute teaching staff as well as dance professionals who have studied and experienced the Limón movement philosophy and repertory, the Limón4Kids program engages students in residencies of varying length, suitable for each school’s needs. Partner schools are focused in the neighborhoods near Limón HQ: the South Bronx and Harlem. The curriculum is broken down into four key areas: choreography, literacy, technique, and performance. Limón’s personal story introduces students to such concepts as heritage, community, identity, and how we communicate. On the final day of the residency, parents, school administrators, and students are invited to visit the studio/classroom to see the dancers in-process. The Limón Dance Company performs matinees during the school day that partner schools are invited to attend.
PROGRAM GOALS
• Provide the opportunity for youth to learn about the Limón legacy of expressive & powerful dance and to discover their own unique voice
• Widely disseminate art instruction to students who may not otherwise have access to a cultural arts curriculum
• Relate to movement as a universal language, through discovery and exploration of rhythm, dynamics, phrasing, space, and form
• Provide support to schools for the development of their art programs and encourage innovative teaching practices
• Use Limón’s personal story as a way to instill cultural pride and a strong sense of identity
• Inspire in students a desire to continue exploring diverse cultures through dance in an effort to make ongoing, meaningful connections to others within our multicultural world
• Develop an arts‐in‐education program that meets Department of Education learning standards, including physical, social, cognitive, and aesthetic benchmarks.
GENERAL CLASS FORMAT
Open discussion about the life and impact of the artist José Limón / overarching themes of the Rep Warm-Up with the use of the Limón Principles Learn Limón Repertory In small groups, dancers create their own mini-compositions Synthesize as a group about the class / what was taken away
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book the LIMÓN dance company
To inquire about booking the Limón Dance Company please submit the form below or contact Edward Schoelwer directly at eschoelwer@redshellmgmt.org or 646-495-1564.