The angular concrete framework that makes up the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall at the University of Massachusetts Amherst stood sharply amid the sound of an excited audience streaming in, shedding their coats and mittens for an evening of dance. As house lights dimmed and conversations hushed, Performing Arts Curator and Director of the Asian and Asian American Arts and Culture Program Michael Sakamoto stepped from behind the curtains and delivered a land acknowledgement and introduced the evening’s performance.
The Limón Dance Company, founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, were at the forefront of the Western modern dance movement. A native of Mexico, Limón went to New York in 1928 to dance for Humphrey, who later became his company’s artistic director.
The first piece of the performance, “Two Ecstatic Themes,” was choreographed in 1931 by Humphrey. The piece is composed of two sections, “Circular Descent” and “Pointed Ascent.” During the question-and-answer session following the performance, Limón Dance Company Artistic Director Dante Puleio referred to the solo as Humphrey’s “exploration of fall and recovery.” The soloist begins by flowing through spiral movements, creating circular shapes with her arms and twirling, then melting to the ground. In “Pointed Ascent,” she builds herself back up, moving in angular contrast to her prior movement quality. Puleio remarked that Humphrey’s choreography in this piece was highly symbolic and intentional. Humphrey “[had] to fall, because it’s what we do, we fall every day and we still hope every day,” Puleio said.
The show continued with Limón’s “The Traitor,” a 20-minute piece that he created in reaction to the McCarthy hearings. The piece follows a leader, a traitor and six followers in interactions that reveal what happens when people betray their own beliefs. Throughout, the traitor desperately tries to gain acceptance into the group of followers, who lift the leader in adulation. The work features delicate partnering and poignant images. The traitor extends himself in a longing lateral T position as the followers crowd around their leader, representing the fear and betrayal prevalent in the United States at the time of the piece’s creation. In an image reminiscent of Lady Liberty, a sheet is draped around the leader as he reaches one arm up, and the traitor places an imaginary crown on his head. At the end, the traitor holds a string around his neck, signifying his demise.
On performing older works such as “The Traitor,” Limón dancer Jessica Sgambelluri said “unfortunately a lot of these works are very, very relevant.” Sgambelluri referenced “The Traitor” specifically. “We live in a world where all of these situations of people being outcast or [betrayed], this is all happening daily amongst everybody, so it becomes sort of a responsibility to make sure that those voices that were speaking decades ago are heard, but these individuals that are currently being affected and living that reality are seeing their truth on stage.”
Although the themes of “The Traitor” have continued to prove relevant in today’s world, the company’s approach to the piece has changed. Traditionally, it was danced by an all-male cast, but now, for the first time, everyone in the company gets a chance to learn the choreography. Puleio said his casting process focused on which dancer’s movement fit with each character. “I’m really interested in seeing how these stories can be told from different perspectives so everyone in the audience sees themselves represented on stage,” Puleio said.
After observing a 15-minute intermission, four dancers enter the stage for Limón’s energetic 1955 piece, “Scherzo.” The dancers’ movements are masculine and athletic, qualities that Limón’s style is known for. When the percussion pauses, their movement becomes the music. Hands clapping, feet shuffling, chest slapping, all as the dancers explore rhythm and composition onstage. From the center of the orchestra, one could hear the squeaking of Marley and the dancers’ breath, see drops of sweat flying off foreheads. One soloist hits a drum, further enlivening the piece. By isolating sound and movement in this way, “Scherzo” zooms in on these organic experiences, acting as a celebration of rhythm and life.
The work closes with Olivier Tarpaga’s “Only One Will Rise,” which the company commissioned in 2022. Tarpaga is a choreographer and musician originally from Burkina Faso. In curating this performance, Puleio chose this piece because of the throughlines between Tarpaga and Limón’s lives. He observed that the two had “really similar core experiences, but decades and continents apart.” “Only One Will Rise” reflects on Tarpaga’s upbringing amongst political unrest and carries on the theme of hope and resilience, centering around finding strength in community. The piece shows intimacy between the dancers as they embrace, partner and come apart. At the end, the company concludes with one final shout, encompassing the collectivity of the human condition.
This theme is present all throughout Limón’s work and weaved into the Limón technique. Dancer Joey Columbus said he thinks of the technique “as just a way to move my body.” When he dances, he said, “I’m using my breath, I’m using my weight, I’m really giving into gravity, thinking about what gesture means. And the thing that I think we all connect to is the fact that these principles are really connected to humanity.”
As for the future of Limón Dance Company, Puleio said he sees it as “very bright.” He cited the company’s season in New York City, which opened on election night last November. After performing the next night, once election results had been announced, every audience member Puleio spoke to “came up and thanked me or thanked [the dancers] for giving them a place to come to, and a place to escape, and somewhere to find some solace and community, and the ability to find each other in that moment.” Puleio concludes by saying, “This work has done that, this work will do that, and this work will continue to do that, so that is my mission for these coming years.”
Riley Greenberg can be reached at [email protected]
