When the Limon Dance Troupe performs at the Moore Theater tonight, it will bring a rich history and tradition to the stage.
The troupe, one of the two senior dance companies in the world, continues to electrify its audiences with thrilling, no-holds barred shows filled with originality, strong form, technique and spirit.
This year they visit the campus in the midst of their 50th anniversary tour, in which they will present a program of masterworks by the genius behind their work, the late Jose Limon and his artistic director and mentor Doris Humphrey and other works by acclaimed contemporary choreographers.
Limon (1908-1972) formed the dance troupe, which continues to enthrall audiences 24 years after his death. Today, the group's aesthetic and technique is recognized world-wide as a pillar of modern dance.
According to a press release, Limon's "aesthetic captures the essence of the human spirit and the dignity of man, and expresses it through passionate, dramatic, and humanistic dances."
He electrified the world with his dynamic and masculine dancing and passionately dramatic choreography. As one of the major choreographic figures in the formation of modern dance, he worked throughout his career to change the image of the male in dance and bring it to a new stature and recognition.
Carla Maxwell, the artistic director, now works to embody Limon's vision in the group -- often to dancers who never knew him. Another issue the group faces, according to the April 5, 1994 article in the Village Voice, is how to find new works that "fit the company's robustly lyrical style and Limon's interest in elemental human drama."
