The Limón Dance Company (LDC) has announced its largest choreographic commission to date in celebration of its 80th Anniversary season: a bold reimagining of José Limón’s masterpiece The Moor’s Pavane by internationally acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan.
Developed over ten weeks in fall 2026 and January 2027, Khan will create a new one-act version of the 1949 work. Early tour venues include onStage at Connecticut College, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University, and Vivo Performing Arts (formerly Celebrity Series of Boston). The company is actively seeking additional commissioning partners to support the project’s full development and presentation. Worldwide representation is by SOZO IMPACT.
“This incredible, timeless piece was a work I had come across and studied as a young performing arts student,” said Khan. “Although that was so many decades ago, it has remained with me and still schools me today. Most simply put, I realized even then that the work was about the human condition, in all its flaws and weaknesses… I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be inspired again and now to reimagine this work through my current artistic lens – not to take away from Limón’s original version, but instead to pay homage to a work that has inspired so many artists over many generations.”
Khan will collaborate with lighting designer Zeynep Kepekli, composer Aditya Prakash, and the dancers of the Limón Dance Company to create “an emotionally physical experience that echoes the past yet expresses the present.”
Drawing from Giraldi Cinthio’s 1565 tale “Un Capitano Moro,” later adapted by Shakespeare as Othello, Limón distilled the story of race, power, and jealousy into four characters and a single handkerchief. First performed in 1949 at the American Dance Festival, The Moor’s Pavane remains one of Limón’s crowning achievements and continues to be performed by major companies worldwide. Khan’s re-examination places these themes in a contemporary context, connecting them to more than 500 years of storytelling.
Artistic Director Dante Puleio, who marks five years at the helm in 2026, noted the deep parallels between the two artists: “Because the story of Akram Khan and the story of José Limón parallel and intersect in too many ways to ignore – Akram and I have been dreaming about how and when to work together since I was named Artistic Director. … I can’t think of another contemporary choreographer better suited to honor this lineage with the depth, rigor, and integrity it deserves during our 80th Anniversary.”
Under Puleio’s leadership since 2020, the company has premiered six new works, presented ten acclaimed reconstructions, created two historic museum installations, and earned its first Bessie Award in twenty years – all while pairing bold contemporary commissions with radical revivals of Limón and Doris Humphrey’s legacy.
Like Limón before him, Akram Khan is renowned for reimagining classic stories through a contemporary lens, making ancient or familiar narratives urgently relevant today. This commission creates a powerful conversation across generations and continents, linking mid-twentieth-century modern dance foundations with today’s most visionary choreography.
For more information on The Limón Dance Company’s 80th Anniversary season, visit www.limon.nyc.
Share this:
