Dances
DANCES
| Large Ensemble | ||
| A Choreographic Offering Music: Johann Sebastian Bach Ensemble work for 12-22 dancers 12 – 58 minutes A seamless marriage of movement and music, Limón’s tribute to his teacher and mentor is built upon Humphrey’s own choreographic motifs. While the full work is close to an hour long, it is most often presented in shorter suites: the variety of dances—solos, duets, trios, quintets, and ensemble groupings—make it an excellent work for dance companies and student ensembles alike. |
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| The Emperor Jones Music: Hector Villa-Lobos Ensemble work for 8 men 24 minutes Based on the classic Eugene O’Neill play, this dance elaborates on the play’s central theme of the superstitious terror of the self-appointed emperor. The dance does not attempt to adhere to the play’s sequence, seeking instead to give it another dimension, and creating a dramatic and powerful piece of theater. |
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| Mazurkas Music: Frederic Chopin Ensemble work for 3 men and 4 women or 4 men and 5 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. |
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| Missa Brevis Music by: 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. |
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| Orfeo 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. |
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| Psalm 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. Note: Psalm is not available for licensing until 2005. |
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| Symphony for Strings Music: William Schumann Ensemble work for 2 men and 4 women Reconstructed under the direction of Ann Vachon for a workshop in 1995, this abstract, yet deeply emotional work has not been publicly performed since 1955. |
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| There is a Time 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. |
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| The Traitor 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. |
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| The Unsung 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. |
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| The Waldstein Sonata Music: Ludwig von Beethoven> Ensemble work for 4 men and 4 women 20 minutes (completed by Daniel Lewis after Limón’s death). Limón’s homage to the musical artistry of Beethoven, this work is performed with a piano onstage. While it consists of three movements, the first section can effectively be performed by itself. |
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| The Winged 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. |
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| Solo/Duet/Trio/Quartet | ||
| Chaconne 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 principle 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. |
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| Concerto Grosso Music: Antonio Vivaldi Trio for 1 man and 2 women – 16 minutes This three-part choreographic invention evokes the formal beauty of the high baroque and reflects the contrasting moods of the music’s movements: the elegance of the opening fugue; the tender melancholy of the largo, and the brilliance of the finale. Note: a group version for 6 or 12 dancers is also available. |
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| Dances for Isadora 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. |
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| The Exiles Music: Arnold Schoenberg Male-female duet – 18 minutes Limón’s original program note was taken from John Milton’s Paradise Lost: “They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld of paradise, so late their happy seat.” This virtuosic duet, a dramatic presentation of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, has three sections: “The Flight,” “The Remembrance,” and “the Cherubims and a flaming sword”. |
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| La Malinche Music: Norman Lloyd Trio for woman and two men – 16 minutes This trio, which premiered in 1949, was the first work Limón created for his own company. It is a product of Limón’s childhood memories of Mexican fiestas, which climaxed with performances celebrating local history and tradition, and has three characters: Malinche, El Conquistador, and El Indio. |
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| The Moor’s Pavane 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. Note: The Moor’s Pavane is only licensed to professional companies. |
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| Scherzo Music by: Hazel Johnson Quartet for 4 men – 11 minutes This energetic, athletic dance for four men and a drum they toss between them is a compelling exploration of rhythm and movement. In moments when the percussion score stops, the movement—the beats the men create on their bodies—becomes the music. |
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