José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc. records

1966-2002 [bulk 1980-1993]

The José Limón Dance Foundation, Incorporated, exists today to support the Limón Dance Company, a professional, world-class, modern dance repertory company, and the Limón Institute, the documentation and educational arm of the Foundation. These institutions show how the Limón legacy can be put into a contemporary dance context preparing future generations to perform and teach.

In his lifetime, José Limón was recognized as the foremost male dancer of his generation and an important pioneering choreographer. Today many of his works are considered masterpieces. In addition, along with his colleagues Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, Limón fostered both a movement technique and a philosophy of theater, a highly kinetic, rhythmically based, humanistic approach that allows individual identities to make a collective and coherent single statement. This tradition stands among only a few other movement techniques and sensibilities that have actually altered the course of twentieth century dance.

The Limón Dance Company was founded in 1946 as a single choreographer (José Limón) company and fostered from its beginnings a repertory concept of dance presentation. Since the death of its founder José Limón, in December 1972, its mission has been the creation of a modern dance repertory company with Limón works at its core, surrounded and enhanced by other dances expressing a similar humanistic point of view and theatrical base. In the time since Limón’s death the company has produced over 50 works by several different choreographers.

The Limón Institute has seen to the on-going growth of dancers, teachers and reconstructors of Limón works through annual workshops and summer residencies. It establishes the Limón Repertory as a major repertory adjunct to companies throughout the world. In addition it has begun the comprehensive documentation of Limón’s dances, techniques and writings.