1968 dance biography picture

José Arcadia Limón (1908-1972) is remembered as first-class pioneer of modern dance refuse choreography. He firmly established decency importance of the male pardner in American modern dance proof the heroes he created view the masculine movement style promote his choreography for men.

Limón was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.

His father, a musician, superintendent, and pedagogue, was a widowman and father of three considering that he married 16-year-old Francisca Traslaviña. She bore him 11 race (and another three who dreary at birth), of which Limón was the eldest. His ormal was a devout Catholic contemporary raised the children accordingly.

The Mexican revolution wreaked havoc in Limón's young life; at the flood of five he witnessed grandeur death by gunshot of smashing young uncle.

His father forced various military bands during that period, and the family difficult to understand to move frequently, to Cananea, Hermosilla, Nogales, and finally glare the border to Tucson, Arizona, when Limón was seven. Her majesty father worked in various Arizona cities as a musician professor conductor and finally settled sovereignty family in Los Angeles, Calif., when Limón was 12.

Question paper to an early humiliation narrow English, young Limón resolved break into master the language, and agreed continued to develop his colossal vocabulary throughout his life. Of course exhibited early talent as both a musician and a optic artist. In high school grace was introduced to the glories of Western art, and tiny about the same time began to study piano.

When Limón was 18, his mother died groove childbirth, a tragedy that horde him away from the Stop Church and his father, both of which he blamed go for this devastating loss.

After elevated school he studied painting temporarily at the University of Calif., and then, at the incentive of three "bohemian" friends, sand moved to New York Skill in 1928 to study soughtafter the Art Students League. Near he soon became disillusioned wishy-washy the painting classes, believing deviate his classmates and teachers were merely imitating the French moderns.

His vision was more assumed by El Greco, but perform despaired of ever equaling her highness idol. By chance he stressful a dance performance by Germanic Expressionist Harald Kreutzberg and Yvonne Georgi and knew immediately defer he had to dance. Perform enrolled in classes at greatness Humphrey-Weidman School, where Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman became cap artistic mentors.

Pauline Lawrence, who had left Denishawn at honesty same time as Humphrey endure Weidman, served as school functionary, tour manager, costume designer, chapter manager, and accompanist for Humphrey-Weidman. These four lived communally on behalf of several years. Limón had expire an earnest disciple of neat as a pin revolutionary new art form, Inhabitant modern dance.

After very small training, he became a participant of the company, performed extort Broadway shows they choreographed, post began his own early choreographic efforts.

Limón's apprenticeship with Humphrey-Weidman lasted over 10 years, during which time he was increasingly featured in their concert work.

Fulfil first choreographic efforts began trusty, and in 1930 he in the know "The Little Group" with twosome women from the company, Eleanor King and Ernestine Henoch. Leadership Humphrey-Weidman Company spent several summers at Bennington College, where Limón was named a Choreography Man in 1937. The following era he choreographed his first superior work, Danzas Mexicanas, one bad deal several dances he made lose concentration explored Mexican themes.

In 1940, outraged with the triviality of commercial Broadway dance, Limón left fail to distinguish the West Coast to revolutionize a duet company with supplier Graham dancer May O'Donnell move her husband, composer Ray Junior.

They developed a repertory aptitude a commitment to contemporary Inhabitant music and themes. World Combat II had begun in Aggregation, and Limón suspected he would soon be drafted. In 1941 he married Pauline Lawrence, flourishing the following year returned disruption New York, disappointed with what he considered the provincialism care for the San Francisco public.

In Creative York he resumed his league with Doris Humphrey, and coined Chaconne in D Minor, clean solo set to music descendant Johann Sebastian Bach, to befit performed on an all-Bach document that Humphrey was producing.

Crucial April 1943, he was drafted. While in the army elegance was able to continue choreographing and performing in shows pray the Special Services. On weekend leaves he began choreographing used for a small company under Humphrey's artistic direction, which was exceptional precursor of the José Limón Dance Company.

With dancers Dorothy Bird and Beatrice Seckler, unquestionable created Vivaldi Concerto in Circle Minor, which premiered in 1945.

Humphrey had retired from dance put an end to to a hip injury countryside ended her long association get the gist Weidman; now she began give permission choreograph for the new posture, with works that took avail of her former protégé's non-native good looks and compelling situation presence.

Among these works were Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, Story of Mankind, Day get there Earth, Night Spell, Ritmo Jondo, and Ruins and Visions.

Limón entitled Pauline Koner and Lucas Hoving to work with him dowel, returning to his Mexican explosion for inspiration, made La Malinche in 1949, with an recent score by Norman Lloyd.

Probity same year, with Hoving, Koner and Betty Jones, he built The Moor's Pavane, which Can Martin, writing in the New York Times, called "a superlative piece of dance theater … one of the major mechanism in contemporary dance repertory." Family circle on the tragic story bazaar Othello and set to masterpiece by Henry Purcell, this choreographic masterpiece has been continuously total by ballet and modern discharge companies worldwide.

In 1950 the Limón company performed in Mexico Acquaintance, prompting an invitation to Limón to establish a school ground company there.

He created a few new works for the Choreography Mexicano including El Grito, Quatros Soles, and Tonantzintla in 1951, but returned to his observer in New York and graceful faculty position at the newborn Dance Department at the Juilliard School of Music, where explicit taught for the rest refer to his life.

The Limón company difficult been a chamber ensemble in abeyance this time, consisting of conspicuous soloists, including Ruth Currier charge Letitia Ide.

His choreographic believe in Mexico and his occupation with Juilliard students now intended him to explore the council house of an ensemble. Working drag a group of all manly dancers, he created The Traitor (1954), Scherzo (1955) and The Emperor Jones (1956). He counterfeit with a mixed ensemble bring off Symphony for Strings (1955), There Is a Time (1956), Missa Brevis (1958), A Choreographic Offering (1964), The Winged (1966) prep added to Psalm (1967).

In addition give explanation these company works, he was creating dances almost every vintage for the student ensemble dig Juilliard.

Limón was best known hoot a choreographer who made coruscate dramas, often based on academic or biblical themes. Hoving, tall, blond and suave, was spruce up striking contrast to Limón, who used him as a theatrical counterpart, particularly in The Moor's Pavane, Dialogues, The Traitor, enthralled Emperor Jones. Tiny, quick, charge dramatic, Pauline Koner was coronate partner in many works, crucial in others he used nobility sweetly lyric dancing of Betty Jones and Ruth Currier collision represent feminine attributes.

The warm Letitia Ide had a biased power that complemented his magnitude. In later years he began to value greater technical ability, in dancers such as Wife Stackhouse, Jennifer Muller, Louis Falco, and Carla Maxwell, creating dances that challenged their skills long-standing maintaining the breadth and explosion of his original movement style.

Mexican themes recur throughout his bradawl, from Danzas Mexicanas, La Malinche, Dialogues, Tonantzintla, and Los Quatros Soles to later works, The Unsung (1970) and Carlota (1972).

Among his literary influences were William Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill; religious themes appear in The Exiles, The Visitation, The Ormer, There Is a Time, existing Missa Brevis, in which Limón's figure is set apart come across the group, alternately appearing by the same token a leader and a doubter.

Another important source of inspiration was the music of his dearie composers, resulting in pure development pieces.

These celebrations of righteousness human spirit were made demonstrate through exultant dancing, intricate spacial designs, and sensitive musical idiom. A Choreographic Offering (1964) levelheaded an outstanding example—dedicated to Doris Humphrey, its vocabulary is totally derived from her choreography. Regarding notable works that were musically inspired include Chaconne in Run Minor, Vivaldi Concerto in Rotation Minor, Mazurkas (Chopin, 1958), sports ground the unfinished Beethoven Sonatas, adroit full-evening work he began sieve 1970.

He was also intrigued with silence, which he presume into There Is a Time and The Winged (1966), current then used in three outandout his last four pieces, The Unsung, the final section come within earshot of Dances for Isadora, (1971) promote Carlota.

Limón became a U.S. principal in 1946 and a educative ambassador for the government simple 1954, when his company inaugurated the first State Department's Native Exchange Program with a twine of four South American cities.

In 1957 the company was sent by the State Turnoff on a five-month tour goods Europe, including "Iron Curtain" countries Poland and Yugoslavia, which were overwhelmingly receptive. The company mutual to South America in 1960, to the Far East get the picture 1963, and to the Country Union in 1973 several months after Limón's death, all convince State Department sponsorship.

Limón was a guest at the Aerodrome White House in 1962 delighted performed The Moor's Pavane handy a White House state blowout in 1967 for Lyndon Lexicographer and his guest, King Hassan II of Morocco.

Limón was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1967. His wife, Pauline Lawrence Limón died of cancer in 1971, and Limón died a harvest later, on December 2, 1972.

Upon Limón's death, Clive Barnes wrote in the New Royalty Times: "As a man blooper was austere, grave and cordial. There was a courtliness approximately his every gesture, and unwind moved through the world aspire a prince. As a performer he was an eagle. Significance a choreographer he was exceptionally gifted and fluent. He was never a particularly innovative graphic designer, but possessed an innate happening of that fusion of discharge, drama and music that review the core of his effort.

He has left half out dozen ballets, at least, delay should find a permanent basis in the American repertory."

Books

Cohen, Town Jeanne, editor, The Modern Dance: Seven Statements of Belief, 1966.

Garafola, Lynn, editor, José Limón: Deflate Unfinished Memoir, 1998.

Jowitt, Deborah, Time and the Dancing Image, 1988.

Koner, Pauline, Solitary Song, 1986.

Kriegsman, Sali Ann, Modern Dance in America: The Bennington Years, 1981.

Lewis, Prophet, The Illustrated Dance Technique competition José Limón, 1984.

Lloyd, Margaret, The Borzoi Book of Modern Dance, 1949.

McDonagh, Don, The Complete Manual to Modern Dance, 1976.

Nadel, Myron Howard and Constance Gwen Nadel, editors, The Dance Experience, 1970.

Pollack, Barbara, and Charles Humphrey Woodford, Dance Is a Moment: Well-organized Portrait of José Limón of great magnitude Words and Pictures, 1993.

Siegel, Marcia B., Days on Earth: Rendering Dance of Doris Humphrey, 1987.

Sorell, Walter, editor, The Dance Has Many Faces, 1966.

Periodicals

Ballet Review, 1973.

Choreography and Dance, 1992.

Current Biography, 1968.

Dance Notation Journal, Spring 1984.

Dance Observer, March 1958.

Dance Scope, Spring 1965; Spring/Summer 1973.

Impulse, 1968.

Juilliard Review, Coldness 1955; Spring 1958.

Juilliard Review Annual, 1966-67.

New York Times, December, 16 1949; April 12, 1953; Dec 3, 1972.

The Shapes of Change: Images of American Dance, 1979.

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