Limón Dance Company presents Women’s Stories
Limón Dance Company (LDC) presents Women’s Stories from Thu-Sat, Dec 7-9, 2023 at 8pm at New York Live Arts, 219 W. 19th Street, NYC. Tickets are $45 ($25 for students and seniors) and are available here.
For three nights only, the Limón Dance Company offers Women’s Stories, a program that centers the female perspective and highlights the women who shaped the company’s canon. The night includes the World Premiere of I Must Be Circumstanced, Hilla Ben Ari’s reimagination of Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane, a startling new take on a classic, incorporates arresting video projections and focuses exclusively on the female characters of Othello. Featuring all female casts, the program shares some of José Limon’s most acclaimed works: Orfeo, Dances for Isadora, as well as an excerpt from The Winged. José Limón Dance Foundation dedicates these performances in honor of former Limón dancer, the late Jennifer Muller.
The intergenerational conversation across disciplines characterizes Hilla Ben Ari’s latest projects, where she corresponded with the works of artists that were active in a variety of fields such as theatre and dance. In a new project that generates a dialogue with one of the most known works by Limón, The Moor’s Pavane (1949), Ben Ari fuses visual art and dance, stillness and motion, in order to challenge and rethink the female body within cultural narratives. Limón’s original creation tells the story of Shakespeare’s tragic Othello through a pavane, a processional dance of the 16th- and 17th-century European aristocracy. Similar to Shakespeare’s play, Limón’s piece is told primarily from the perspective of male characters. But here, the work will focus on Emilia and Desdemona, and following the original structure of Limón’s quartet, Ben Ari adds two additional characters through recorded video projections. Each of the live dancers on stage will be mirrored and reflected through the figures that appear in video, giving audiences two Desdemonas and two Emilias.
One of the last works Limón choreographed in tribute to his late wife Pauline Lawrence Limón, Orfeo dances his lyrical lament of love and loss, calling his beloved Eurydice from the dead. Swathed in veils and protected by her Guardians, she comes and their duet of the love of the souls ensues. The reality of death comes and Eurydice returns to Hades leaving Orfeo once again with his tortuous doubts and hopes. This program will feature a female casting redefining who tells this story of love and loss.
Emotionally and musically rich, Dances for Isadora is a moving tribute to Isabora Duncan and a celebration of the power of women dancing, and of America’s dance legacy. Lushly musical with the Chopin piano music, this wonderfully diverse set of five solos evoke aspects and periods of the life of Isadora Duncan whom Limón regarded as his “dance mother.”
Choreographed by Limón in 1966, The Winged transports audiences to a world of nature that blends with the world of man through movement that resembles the intricate patterns and rhythms of birds in flight. The evening will open with the evocative excerpt, Feast of Harpies.
Founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the Limón Dance Company (LDC) has been at the vanguard of American Modern dance since its inception and is considered one of the world’s greatest dance companies. Choreographer and dancer José Limón is credited with creating one of the world’s most important and enduring dance legacies— an art form responsible for the creation, growth and support of modern dance in this country. 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. Visit www.limon.nyc to learn more.