Jose Limón Dance Company’s The Moor’s Pavane

On February 15, the Jose Limón Dance Company held a presentation of The Moor’s Pavane, a work based on Othello and choreographed by the founder of the company. The evening began with a discussion led by artistic director Carla Maxwell, and a demonstration by four of Limón’s resident dancers: Roxane D'Orleans Juste, Kathryn Alter, Dante Puleio, and Francisco Ruvalcaba. To conclude, the Company showed a video presentation of the original cast of The Moor’s Pavane with Limón in the title role.

The Moor’s Pavane premiered in 1949, and presented Shakespeare’s tragedy with music by Baroque composer Henry Purcell. The cast was limited to four main characters: the Moor, Desdemona, Iago, and Emilia. Maxwell explained that the costumes for the piece were designed to convey each character as an archetype: the Moor in purple robes to represent nobility; Iago in a gold tunic to represent betrayal; Emilia in crimson to represent seduction; and Desdemona in white to represent purity. Each dancer’s movement echoed this sentiment. While Desdemona’s movements seemed to glide without touching the ground, the Moor moved with purpose and grandeur, a formidable unwavering mass. The white handkerchief represented the bond between Othello and Desdemona, a relationship which became a character unto itself.

Yet the evening centered on a question posed at the end by one of the audience members: “How do you create drama through movement?” In this highly theatrical tale, the players on stage have limited tools at their disposal. But one of the dancers explained that the fun part of the piece was to ensure that each gesture, turn, and expression has meaning, purpose, and a sense of honesty in order to propel the drama. Because each character stands for a universal human emotion, the dancers must look beyond their own technical foundation and find a theatrical spirit for motivation.

The Jose Limón Dance Company returns to Americas Society on April 10 as part of the Jose Limón Salon Series.