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Jose Limon: An Unfinished Memoir (Studies in Dance History)
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About Jose Limon: An Unfinished Memoir
Product Description A captivating illustrated autobiography of the early years of a major American choreographer. Amazon.com Review I believe that we are never more truly and profoundly human than when we dance. --José Limón Though he lived to be 64, it's always seemed that dancer-choreographer José Limón (1908-1972) was snatched from this earth prematurely. For that reason, the appearance of Limón's unfinished biography--which has the same assured, sensitive quality as his dances--is such a treasure. Limón's writings here tell of his childhood and early adult years. Born in Culiacán, Mexico, the eldest of 12 children, Limón showed great talent as a visual artist from early on. His family moved to the U.S. when he was 7 (first to Arizona, then California), where he attended Catholic school and continued his drawing and painting. It was not until the late '20s, when he moved to New York City to study art, that Limón saw his first dance concert and changed course entirely. "I knew with shocking suddenness that until then I had not been alive or, rather, that I had yet to be born," he writes. With a level of detail that belies his sense of miraculous discovery, he chronicles his work with and appreciation of such 20th-century choreographic masters as Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine. The memoir ends just as Limón has formed his own company. You couldn't ask for better stewardship for these papers, which had been viewable until now only at the dance collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The Society of Dance History Scholars, with Lynn Garafola acting as editor, drove this project. Carla Maxwell, the current artistic director of the José Limón Dance Company, wrote the foreword; and Village Voice dance critic Deborah Jowitt penned the introduction. For a short time, at least, Limon lives again. --Jean Lenihan From Publishers Weekly Limon died in 1972 at age 64, leaving behind a legacy of work that survives through the dance company that bears his name. Drawing from both literature and his Mexican background, Limon created powerful dances that redefined men's roles: heroic and masculine characters took the place of classical ballet's effete princes. Limon began writing his memoir late in life when he was seriously ill, and he died before completing it. As a result, his recollections end at 1942, just as Limon, in his mid-30s, was embarking on the most fruitful artistic period of his life. Writing in a formal style, Limon begins with his childhood in Mexico, his family's subsequent move to California and his relocation to New York City at age 20. He discusses the work of modern dance pioneers such as Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman and includes details about when and where premieres took place, who danced the roles, what the costumes looked like and how the audience responded to the works. Dance aficionados will also enjoy Limon's stories of Martha Graham as well as his critiques of several forgotten Broadway shows in which he performed. There are significant gaps in his writing: for example, he only hints at his relationship with his wife, Pauline Lawrence. However, comments by Jowitt, Owen and Garafola round out the work, adding to this excerpt of a great artist's life. 30 photos. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal One of the key figures in American modern dance, Lim?n's legacy includes a body of powerful works and an eponymous company still performing nearly 30 years after his death. This autobiography, begun late in Lim?n's life, was left unfinished at his death. In elegant, often formal prose, he recounts his childhood in Mexico, his family's relocation to California, and his move to New York City. The early days of American modern dance and some of its noted artistsAe.g., Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham, and Charles WeidmanAare given serious consideration. There are detailed accounts of dance premieres as well as
