26 replies to this topic

[miliosr]

Haven't posted in a while so . . .

The main company performed in Beijing for the first time ever in early December.  They will be touring Switzerland and Mexico in the Spring.

Here is a sneak peak of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons:

http://www.limon.org...or2010-2012.pdf

Thoughts:

I don't know how I feel about all of the anniversary/centennial celebrations.  I know that, with the charismatic founders gone, these celebrations are a good way to garner publicity.  On the down side, though, these recurring evocations of the past engender an impression of a constant seance to what was.

Interesting that the main company will revive The Emperor Jones after 25 years.  I wonder if this was long-planned or if the decision to revive it now had anything to do with the Irish Repertory Theater's very well-received revival of the play:

http://theater.nytim...a...ones&st=cse

And I know nothing about Jiri Kylian's La Cathedrale Engloutie . . .

[miliosr]

Nice review of the Three Modern Dance Classics DVD here:

http://www.ballet.co...dern-dances.htm

[miliosr]

For those of you in the New York area who have an interest in the mid-20th century modern dance, the Limon company will close out its recent series of performances in and around New York with three performances at the 92nd Street Y.  (The Friday and Sunday performances are already sold out but it looks like there are still tickets for the Saturday performance.)  This will be the last chance to see them in the US for the next few months as they head off for tours in Italy, Switzerland and Mexico.

The repertory will be:

01  La Malinche (1949) - Jose Limon (2010 revival)

02  Dance In the Sun (1950) - Daniel Nagrin

03  Spanish Dance (1948) - Daniel Nagrin

04  Rooms (excerpts) (1955) - Anna Sokolow (2008 revival)

05  Heartbeats (excerpts) (1997) - Donald McKayle

06  There Is a Time (1956) - Jose Limon (2009 revival)

[miliosr]

The New York Times weighs in on the 92nd Street Y performances:

http://www.nytimes.c....html?ref=dance

I don't agree with Macaulay's assessment of Limon's repertory (surprise!) BUT I admire how he just came out and said that Limon's brand of dance theater wasn't to his taste.  I wish more reviewers would take that approach rather than adopting a stance of phony objectivity.  This way, the reader knows up front that the reviewer has an issue with a particular choreographer's approach (and can factor that in when reading the review.)  

Tobi Tobias weighs in on the same performances:

http://www.artsjourn..._afterlife.html

[miliosr]

Macaulay's comments about the lack of ambiguity in Limon's work reminded me of Ayn Rand's famous comment that Mickey Spillane was her favorite novelist precisely because his work was so black and white.  

In other news, the Limon company will be performing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Thursday, June 10.  The repertory will consist of Limon's The Moor's Pavane and There Is a Time and Clay Taliaferro's Into My Heart's House.

[Quiggin]

I saw Daniel Nagrin (whose works were included on the 92nd Street Y program) perform once in Los Angeles or Long Beach around 1980 -- and found his work quite charming and very intelligent and free. In one dance he stepped on and off of a log while he gave a monologue of sorts, and another focused on ballroom dancing and he talked how important it was for his generation, while he did different solo variations.

From the videotape of Moor's Pavane and Traitor (and one live viewing of the company in the 1980s), I would agree with Mr Macaulay that Jose Limon's work was overly schematic, the Traitor -- about the MacCarthy Hearings  -- painfully so. On the other hand snippets of Limon's memoir and his observations on sleepy San Francisco and his travels to New York seem very nicely drawn.

[miliosr]

Quiggin, on Mar 14 2010, 05:47 AM, said:

I saw Daniel Nagrin (whose works were included on the 92nd Street Y program) perform once in Los Angeles or Long Beach around 1980 -- and found his work quite charming and very intelligent and free. In one dance he stepped on and off of a log while he gave a monologue of sorts, and another focused on ballroom dancing and he talked how important it was for his generation, while he did different solo variations.

I'm glad the Limon company has several of his solos in repertory because, otherwise, I think his repertory would be a dead one.

Quote

From the videotape of Moor's Pavane and Traitor (and one live viewing of the company in the 1980s), I would agree with Mr Macaulay that Jose Limon's work was overly schematic, the Traitor -- about the MacCarthy Hearings  -- painfully so. On the other hand snippets of Limon's memoir and his observations on sleepy San Francisco and his travels to New York seem very nicely drawn.

Of the Limon pieces I've seen (and there's a lot I haven't seen), I can say that The Traitor is my least favorite.  The design is interesting (like an El Greco painting sprung to life) but, as a drama, once you've seen it -- you've seen it.  It doesn't sustain interest over repeated viewings or with cast changes.
.

[miliosr]

Wendy Perron at Dance Magazine weighs in on the 92nd Street Y performances:

http://dancemagazine...logs/wendy/3257

[papeetepatrick]

miliosr, on Dec 12 2009, 04:21 PM, said:

And I know nothing about Jiri Kylian's La Cathedrale Engloutie . . .

This is a gorgeous piece, it's on a tape/DVD which is called, I think, '4 by Kylian'.  Has Jeanne Solan in it, she was always beautiful.  It's my favourite Kylian piece I know (not very many, I admit, but I've liked most of what I've seen.)

[miliosr]

papeetepatrick, on Mar 20 2010, 09:12 PM, said:

miliosr, on Dec 12 2009, 04:21 PM, said:

And I know nothing about Jiri Kylian's La Cathedrale Engloutie . . .

This is a gorgeous piece, it's on a tape/DVD which is called, I think, '4 by Kylian'.  Has Jeanne Solan in it, she was always beautiful.  It's my favourite Kylian piece I know (not very many, I admit, but I've liked most of what I've seen.)

Thanks for the tip, patrick.  I'm not really enthused by the next big Limon revival -- The Emperor Jones -- the company has in store so this has peaked my interest more.

[miliosr]

The company concludes its Swiss tour tonight, returns to New York for a company benefit on the 17th and then heads to Mexico for a tour:

May 20  Cuernavaca
May 22  Monterrey
May 25  Puebla
May 29-30  Mexico City
June 2   Culican
June 5   Colima

[miliosr]

Some last odds&ends for this year:

1) The company performs tonight at the Saratoga Perfoming Arts Center before starting a two-week residency at Adelphi University, and

2) Members of the company will perform selections from Anna Sokolow's Rooms as part of a lecture/demonstration (titled "Passion and Angst: Postwar Identity in Two Dances by Anna Sokolow") at Kaatsbaan on June 30th, and

3) Artistic Director Carla Maxwell and Lynn Garafola will discuss The Limon Company on August 3rd at Kaatsbaan.