The Limón Dance Company (LDC) proudly launches its 80th anniversary celebration with a dynamic and thought-provoking program at The Joyce Theater from October 14 to 19, 2025, honoring the enduring legacy of its founder, José Limón, while showcasing bold new voices in contemporary dance. Performances are scheduled Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 PM, with matinee shows on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM, and a special Curtain Chat on October 15 offering audiences deeper insight into the company’s vision. This intergenerational program weaves together Limón’s foundational works with innovative commissions, exploring themes of masculinity, identity, queerness, and the human condition—questions that defined Limón’s artistry and remain strikingly relevant today.
At the heart of the program lies an expansive staging of Limón’s Chaconne, originally choreographed as a solo in 1942 to elevate the presence of the male dancer. A meditation on form, dignity, and the elevation of the male dance figure in modern dance, Chaconne becomes a multigenerational homage in this performance — reimagined for an ensemble of former and current Limón Company dancers. Presented in celebration of The Joyce’s own history, this re-staging brings together artists who have shaped the Company across decades, honoring their contributions while reaffirming Limón’s timeless artistic mission. At this juncture of the historical canon of Limón, this performance marks the roots of a new generation as well, by giving homage to the past in order to sow new grounds for the influence of Limón.
A gripping examination of tyranny and masculine identity, Limón’s adaptation of O’Neill’s play returns in a groundbreaking contemporary adaptation that draws out the work’s queer subtext and psychological tension. Limón’s works frequently explored the complexity of male identity and power through duets of tension and contrast. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Emperor Jones, a haunting psychological portrait inspired by O’Neill’s play. In Limón’s telling, the story of a self-made tyrant hunted down by his former subjects becomes a vehicle for examining authority, vulnerability, and the destructive weight of self-mythology. This reconstruction — the first in the work’s history to feature a mixed-gender corps — embraces contemporary design and a reimagined visual world that speaks to today’s audiences while remaining true to Limón’s emotional truth. Through updated costuming and staging, The Emperor Jones becomes not only a historical artifact but also a living, evolving work, inviting renewed reflection on race, masculinity, and the burden of power.
The evening concludes with Jamelgos, a world premiere by acclaimed Mexican choreographer Diego Vega Solorza, whose work interrogates masculinity and inherited gender roles within Mexican culture. Drawing inspiration from Limón’s iconic pieces like The Traitor, The Moor’s Pavane, and The Emperor Jones, Vega Solorza crafts a bold dance manifesto that dismantles traditional notions of power and identity. Set to an original score by contemporary American composer Ebe Oke, blending orchestral and electronic elements, Jamelgos creates a choreographic landscape that envisions a hopeful future. This commission not only expands Limón’s legacy but also advances the Limón Foundation’s mission to foster artistic exchange between the US and Mexico, highlighting the evolution of Latin American dance on a global stage.
This 80th anniversary program at The Joyce Theater is a testament to LDC’s commitment to honoring its roots while pushing the boundaries of modern dance. Tickets for Limón Dance Company at The Joyce start at $17, including fees, and are available at https://www.joyce.org/performances/172//limon-dance-company.
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