To celebrate the arrival of “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection” at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, the Miami City Ballet will perform José Limón’s The Moors Pavane as part of the exhibition’s special programming on October 29 at 7 p.m. The performance is free with museum admission and guests may RSVP here.
The performance will be followed by a conversation and Q&A with Dante Puleio, artistic director of the José Limón Dance Foundation, and Daniel Lewis, president of Miami Dance Futures.
Born in Culiacán, Mexico, in 1908, Limón and his family fled during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. At age seven, he and his parents emigrated from Mexico to Tucson, Arizona, and eventually settled in Los Angeles, California. When Limón moved to New York City, he became interested in dance, inspired by a performance by Harald Kreutzberg and Yvonne Georgi. Limón studied with Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman and soon began his professional career in their company, where he became known for his dynamic, masculine dancing.
In 1946 Limón formed his own company, appointing Humphrey as artistic director. Limón’s potent choreography, often steeped in drama, relayed the human experience drawn from Hispanic history, culture, literature, and religion. For 25 years, he established himself and his company as one of the major forces of twentieth century dance.
Limón is most known for his iconic masterpiece, The Moor’s Pavane, which premiered at the Connecticut festival in New London in 1949. Based on Shakespeare’s Othello, The Moor’s Pavane is a picture of the corrosive force of jealousy and the destruction of good by evil. The stately and formal choreography provides a stark contrast to the emotional and passionate characters in this tragic story.
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