January 12
Born Today:
José Limón
Modern dancer José Limón (1908-1972) was inspired to pursue dance after seeing early modern dancer Harald Kreutzberg (1902-1968) perform. Limón began taking class at the Humphrey-Weidman school and danced with the company in the 1930s. On Broadway, he choreographed the musical Roberta (1933) and also appeared in several other shows and was drafted into military service in 1943. Following WWII, he founded his own company in 1946, inviting his mentor Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) to be the artistic director. The company produced her work and his own, a model which helped the company survive his death. His masterpiece, The Moor’s Pavane (1949), succinctly retells Othello in a tightly choreographed quartet.
Also Born Today: Composer Louis Horst (1884-1964), worked with Martha Graham (1894-1991) for many years and taught inspiring choreography classes. Choreographer Kurt Jooss (1901-1979) was a student of Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958) and his political masterpiece, The Green Table (1932), still resonates today. Victor Gsovsky (1902-1974) was the ballet master for the Paris Opera and many other European dance organizations. Anna Kisselgoff (1938-) served as the chief dance critic at the New York Times for almost 30 years. Andre De Shields (1946-) starred on Broadway in The Wiz (1975) and choreographed two musicals for Bette Midler.