
Fall 2025 NYC Season
Photo by Kelly Puleio

The Joyce Theater Foundation, in association with the José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc., presents
Our Supporters

The José Limón Dance Foundation extends our gratitude to the generous supporters who make our programming possible.
Donor list is as of October 8, 2025 *Denotes Foundation Board members
Charles & Deborah Adelman
Abbey Alkon
Roger & Aida Anderson
Lili Arkin
Daniel & Melissa Aron
Martin Auerbach
Rita Auerbach
Prudence & John Bailey
Peter Balsam
Margaret H. Beals
Lisa Benton
Daniel Benton
Judy Boomer
Raphael Boumaila
Kim Bourne
Karen Bow
Margot Bridger & Gerry Paul
Louise Brownsberger
Mary Burns
Diana Burroughs
Candace Carponter
Paula Carriço*
Amy Cassello
NY Racetrack Chaplaincy
Roopa Cheema
Calvin Churchman
Gabriel Cirio
Patricia G. Cohen
Elizabeth Comito
Alice Condodina
Colin Connor
Judy Corwin
Deborah Damast
Alexis Daran
Barbara H. Dickinson
Ralf Dolfinger
Kurt Douglas*
Elana Michelle Duffy
Carla Eaton
Eileen Ellis
Robert & Eileen Ellis
Dr. Tina Evans* & Wayne Evans
Ingrid Fagen
Deborah Falik
Lian Fang
Karl Feitelberg
Kristen Foote
Mary Ford Sussman
William Gardner
Diane Giles
Amanda Gish
George & Judy Graff
Akir & Michelle Gutierrez
Faye Haun
Christopher Healy
Nicole Pura Heath
Georgina Hernandez
Sylvia Ann Hewlett* & Richard Weinert
Reaz Jafri
Syma Javed
Jill Javier*
Renée Jaworski
Christopher Jones & Deb McAlister
Christine Jowers-Friedman
Stephen Kanzer
Donna Krasnow
Ted Kropiewnicki
Dorothy Lawson
Jonathan Leinbach, M.D.*
Elise Drew León
John Lewis
Daniel Lewis
Martha Lieblich
JJ Lind & Brady Jenkins
Ashley Lindsey
Cara Lonergan
Cynthia Low
Joanne Luehring
Alexander Lurie
Peter Lyons
Jane Lytle
Lorn Macdougal
Yvonne Maes
Mai Manchanda
Lavinia Mancuso
Gary W. Masters
Maria Eugenia Maury
Jim May
Madelaine Mayer
Robert* & Jeanne Meister
Christopher Moreno
David Neumann
John Oden
Morris & Nancy Offit
Norton Owen
Cecilia Picón & Pedro Torres
Laura Pogoda
Kim Preston Charitable Fund
John Prignano
Kelly Puleio Photography
Diane Renwick
Leslie Rich
Katrina Robinson*
James Ruscica
Michael Russ
Ivan* & Karyn Sacks
Madeline Sacks
Raina Sacks Blankenhorn
William Schaffner
Michelle Schroer
Charles Scott
Barbara Selinger
Carol Sgambelluri
Richard Sgambelluri
Elizabeth Shew
Stephen Sholl
Jill Solan
Danielle Stadler
Debora Staley
Peter Stathas
Benjamin Stein
Hugette Streuli
Gail Strinitz
Thomas Sullivan
George Sun
Allison Sweeney
Clay Taliaferro
Clarice Tavares
John Teitler
Jayne & Chad Saunders-Tiller
Sameera Troesch
Lorraine Twomley
Kara Unterberg
Ann Vachon
Yolanda Variano
Keiko Voltaire
Peter & Wuliang Walker
Nina Watt
Carol Weil
Stephen M. Weiner
Lissa Weinstein
David & Marcia Welles
Megan Williams
Lisa Wiltse
Maureen Wink
Jorich Wong
Ellen Yost & Louis Lafili
Andrew Zacks & Wayne Cutler
Carol Hollenshead and Bruce Wilson Fund, Gladys-Krieble Delmas Foundation, Henry & Lucy Moses Fund, Hispanic Federation, New York Community Trust, New York State Council On The Arts, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, O'Donnell Green Foundation, The Harkness Foundation For Dance, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Inc., The SHS Foundation, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation
Limón Dance Company
FOUNDERS
José Limón and Doris Humphrey
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dante Puleio
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle Preston
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Logan Frances Kruger
THE COMPANY
Natalie Clevenger • Joey Columbus • Ian Debono • Mariah Gravelin
Johnson Guo • Stephen Haley • Deepa Liegel • Ty Morrison
Olivia Mozie • Jessica Sgambelluri • Savannah Spratt • Lauren Twomley
MUSICIAN
John Marcus

DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Choreography: José Limón (1942)
Music: J.S. Bach, Chaconne from Partitia #2 in D Minor
for Unaccompanied Violin
Violinist: John Marcus
Rehearsal Assistant: Kristen Foote
Staging & Direction: Logan Frances Kruger
2022 Lighting Design: Al Crawford
Dancers
Members of the Limón Dance Company, Limón2, Company Alumni, Students and Limón Family:
Kathryn Alter, Lily Ching, Natalie Clevenger, Joey Columbus, Alice Condodina*,
Natalie Desch, Daniel Fetecua Soto, Logan Frances Kruger,
Ashton Layne Rivera, Florence Lin, Nyah Malone, Nathan Podziewski, Jonathan Riedel,
Adi Saban, Frances Lorraine Samson, Aaron Selissen, Savannah Spratt, Maxine Steinman,
Mary Ford Sussman, Lauren Twomley, Nina Watt (10/14, 10/15, 10/18, 10/19)
The Chaconne as a dance form originated in Mexico during the Spanish occupation. Bach employed the strict musical form of the Chaconne but enriched it with powerful emotional implications. Limón has tried to capture in his dance both the formal austerity and the profound feeling of the music.
In celebration of our 80 years we are bringing together generations of dancers, from students to Company veterans, to represent the countless artists who have been inspired and touched by the transformative work of José Limón.
First performed December 27, 1942 at the Humphrey-Weidman Studio Theater,
New York City, by José Limón.
*Ms. Condodina’s presence is supported in part by the University of California, Santa Barbara.
PAUSE
Chaconne
(10 Minutes)
ABOUT THE LIMÓN DANCE COMPANY
The Limón Dance Company (LDC) has been at the vanguard of dance since its inception in 1946. The first dance group to tour internationally under the auspices of the State Department, and first modern dance company to perform at Lincoln Center in New York, it has performed twice at The White House. The José Limón Dance Foundation, with Company and Institute, is the recipient of a 2008 National Medal of the Arts. José Limón has a special place in American culture for a social awareness that transcended distinct groups to address how we all search for commonality. It is with this ethos that we continue to commission works by critically acclaimed and emerging international voices 50 years after Limón’s passing. His works continue to influence the evolution of the art form with their arresting visual clarity, theatricality, and rhythmic and musical life.
JOSÉ LIMÓN DANCE FOUNDATION
Board of Directors
Ivan Sacks - Chair
Robert A. Meister - Treasurer & Past Chair
Paula Carriço
Kurt Douglas
Tina Evans - Secretary
Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Jill Javier
Jonathan Leinbach, M.D.
Cecilia Picón
Katrina Robinson
STAFF
Dante Puleio, Artistic Director
Michelle Preston, Executive Director
Logan Frances Kruger, Associate Artistic Director
Lena Lauer, Director of Limón Institute
Cristina Moya-Palacios, Institute Administrator
Donnell Williams, Licensing Manager
Deborah Corrales, Company General Manager
Gabriel Cirio, Development & Communication Manager
Elizagrace Madrone, Membership & Development Operations Manager
William Schaffner, Stage Manager
Corey Whittemore, Technical Manager
Olivia Zacchia, Wardrobe Manager
Domestic (U.S.) Bookings 25/26
Red Shell Management, LLC;Edward V. Schoelwer, 646-495-156 | eschoelwer@redshellmgmt.org
26/27 Management, New Works Inquiries & Booking:
Sozo Artists; +1 (917) 791-3680 | limon@sozomedia.com | www.sozoartists.com
Press Representation
Michelle Tabnick 646.765.4773 | michelle@michelletabnickpr.com
The Company
NATALIE CLEVENGER (Dancer, She/They), from Mooresville, IN and received her BFA in dance from the University of Arizona in 2018. Upon graduation, Natalie joined Dance Kaleidoscope in Indianapolis, IN and danced with the company for three seasons. Natalie joined Limón Dance Company in 2022.

JOEY COLUMBUS (Dancer, He/Him) began his dance training in the Chicagoland area before obtaining his BFA in dance from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program. He has performed with companies such as RIOULT and Company XIV as well as at the Metropolitan Opera.

IAN DEBONO (Dancer, He/Him) from San Francisco, graduated from The Juilliard School in 2023 with a BFA in Dance. There, he has performed works by Ohad Naharin, Medhi Walerski, Norbert De La Cruz III, Spenser Theberge, and Jermaine Spivey, among others. Currently, Ian is a performing member of The Metropolitan Opera and is thrilled to be joining the Limón Company!

MARIAH GRAVELIN (Dancer, She/Her) joined the Limón Company in 2019 where she has performed and taught nationwide. She holds a BFA from Alvin Ailey/Fordham University (2018). She is on faculty for the Limón Institute and can be found with her camera in hand photographing when not dancing.

JOHNSON GUO (Dancer, He/Him) began his dance training at NYC’s Ballet Tech Program. He continued his learnings at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. Before graduating with a BFA degree in dance performance, Johnson joined the esteemed Limón dance company in 2021.

STEPHEN HALEY (Dancer, He/Him) Born in New Jersey, earned a BFA from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, where he graduated with a composition concentration and received the inaugural Dance Leadership Award. Stephen is also an up-and-coming choreographer and finds fulfillment in creating. Stephen is also a recipient of the Merce Cunningham Barbara Ensley Award 2025.

DEEPA LIEGEL (Dancer, She/Her) joined Limón Dance Company in 2021. Originally from Seattle, Washington. BFA from Southern Methodist University. Professionally worked with Mark Morris Dance Group, the Metropolitan Opera, Dance Lab NY and others. Certified classical Pilates instructor since 2020. Instagram: @deepaleaps.

OLIVIA MOZIE (Dancer, she/her) born in Greenville, SC began dancing at the age of four and continued her studies at The South Carolina Governor’s School, graduating in 2020. In 2024, Olivia graduated from Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a B.F.A. in Contemporary Dance Performance. Olivia joined the Limón Company in January 2024.

TY MORRISON (Dancer, He/Him) from Boston, received his BFA from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee performing works by choreographers Darrell Moultrie, Catherine Coury, and Bradley Shelver. He then joined BODYTRAFFIC internationally performing works by choreographers Micaela Taylor, Alejandro Cerrudo, Fernando Magadan, Juel D. Lane, and more.

JESSICA SGAMBELLURI (Dancer, She/Her) is a 2014 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College. Jessica has danced for Graham 2, TED Talks Live, Caterina Rago Dance Company, The Metropolitan Opera, and Buglisi Dance Theatre. Jessica joined the company in 2019.

SAVANNAH SPRATT (Dancer, She/Her) joined the company in 2016. Hailing from Rochester, PA, she holds a BFA from UNCSA (recipient of the Sarah Graham Keenan Scholarship). Beyond Limón, she has collaborated with Madeline Hollander, Hélène Simoneau, and the Merce Cunningham Trust and enjoys knitting.

LAUREN TWOMLEY (Dancer, She/Her) from Brooklyn, NY, is a performing and teaching artist who has been with the Limón Dance Company since 2019. She is a dancer and operations manager for Peter Stathas Dance and values connection, diversity, and play in her artistic endeavors.

Founders
JOSÉ LIMÓN (Founder/Choreographer, 1908-1972) electrified the world with his dynamic masculine dancing and dramatic choreography. One of the 20th century’s most important and influential dance makers, he spent his career pioneering a new art form and fighting for its recognition. Born in Culiacán, Mexico in 1908, he moved to California in 1915, and in 1928 came to New York where he saw his first dance program. Limón enrolled in Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman’s dance school and performed in several of their works from 1930 to 1940. In 1946, with Doris Humphrey as Artistic Director, Limón formed his own company. Over the next 25 years, he established himself and his company as a major force of 20th century dance. Limón created a total of 74 works, including The Moor’s Pavane, Concerto Grosso, and Missa Brevis.
DORIS HUMPHREY (Founder/Choreographer, 1895-1958) is recognized as a founder of American Modern Dance. She developed a distinctive movement approach based on the body’s relationship to gravity and the use of weight. The company she formed with Charles Weidman produced great dances as well as outstanding performers, José Limón among them. When physical disability ended her career as a dancer, she became the Artistic Director for José Limón and his company, creating new works for him and for The Juilliard.
Artistic Leadership

DANTE PULEIO (Artistic Director, He/Him), a widely respected former member of the Limón Dance Company for more than a decade, Puleio was appointed the sixth Artistic Director in the Company’s 80-year history, a position that originated with Doris Humphrey. After a diverse performing career with the Limón Dance Company, touring national and international musical theatre productions, television and film, he received his MFA from University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on contextualizing mid 20th century dance for the contemporary artist and audience. He is committed to implementing that research by celebrating José Limón's historical legacy and reimagining his intention and vision to reflect the rapidly shifting 21st century landscape.
LOGAN FRANCES KRUGER (Associate Artistic Director, She/Her) an Atlanta, Georgia native, received her early training from Annette Lewis and Pamala Jones-Malavé, and went on to receive a BFA from The Juilliard School. Her extensive performing career has included work with renowned artists such as Shen Wei, Jonah Bokaer and Adam H Weinert. Logan was a principal dancer with the Limón Dance Company for 9 years, and was the Company’s Rehearsal Director for 4 years before being appointed Associate Artistic Director in 2021. Logan has taught master classes and workshops across the globe, and is a reconstructor of Limón’s repertory.

Choreography: Diego Vega Solorza (2025)
Choreographer's Assistant: Carla Segovia
Composer: Ebe Oke
Costume Design: Julio César Delgado
Lighting Design: Corey Whittemore
Movement Advisors: Ramsés Carranco, Fernanda Salas,
Carla Segovia, Diego Vértiz
Dancers
Natalie Clevenger, Ian Debono, Mariah Gravelin (10/14, 10/15, 10/18, 10/19) Johnson Guo, Ty Morrison, Savannah Spratt (10/16, 10/17), Lauren Twomley
A powerful response to Limón’s oeuvre by one of Mexico’s most boundary-pushing choreographers, this new work explores contemporary queer masculinity and the inherited legacies of gender performance in Latinx culture.
“This is the Manifesto of the Riders of the New Horizon...
those who refuse the order to harden, to mute tenderness,
to erase difference. Our rebellion is softness itself,
vulnerability that sparks the fire,
a gesture that refuses any fixed machine.”
- Diego Vega Solorza
Jamelgos was commissioned by The Joyce Theater’s Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New Work. Additional support provided by Limón Innovation Fund Partners: Howard Gilman Foundation and Jody & John Arnhold Foundation. Music commissioned by Artis-Naples, Naples Philharmonic for performance with Limón Dance Company.
Choreographer represented by Llano Arte Contemporaneo. Studio Manager Brenda Loustaunau.
WORLD PREMIERE
(20 Minutes)
Jamelgos
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO...
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center for allowing Limón Dance Company to hold a Tech Residency and Rafael Durand Kick.
Choreography: José Limón (1956)
Music: Heitor Villa-Lobos, Emperor Jones
Reconstruction (2025): Dante Puleio
Reconstruction Coach: Daniel Fetecua
Dramaturg: Dominique Rider
Costume Design and Construction: Márion Talán de la Rosa
Scenic Design: Peta McKenna
Lighting Design: Corey Whittemore
Dancers
The Emperor Jones: Johnson Guo
The Man in White: Joey Columbus
The Emperor’s Subjects: Ian Debono, Stephen Haley, Ty Morrison,
Olivia Mozie, Deepa Liegel, Savannah Spratt
Reconstructed with a mixed-gender cast and new scenic design, this contemporary adaptation of tyranny and masculine identity reimagines Limón’s abstraction of Eugene O’Neill’s play.
The work’s queer subtext and psychological tension come to the forefront in this groundbreaking revival.
First performed July 1956 at the Empire State Festival, Ellensville, New York.
*Recording of Odense Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jan Wagner of Heitor Villa-Lobos' The Emperor Jones licensed by Bridge Records Inc.
INTERMISSION
The Emperor Jones
(24 Minutes)

Photo by Walter Strate


We'll be dedicating this season to the woman who shepherded this company for almost 40 years; Carla Maxwell was the artistic director for my entire time dancing with the company. She took over shortly after José and just passed this year. I think it's an important moment to celebrate her legacy; she was one of the first people who took a company that was founded by somebody else and said, “this can continue to live beyond the founder.” And because of her, I think so many other companies were able to find ways to thrive. I'm excited to be able to celebrate her in this way. - Dante Puleio

When curating Limón’s works alongside newly commissioned pieces, I aim to reveal different facets of who José Limón was—why he created the works he did, and how they continue to speak to the world today.
For this program, I’ve been drawn to both what I know about Limón and what remains a mystery. He was the only male choreographer of his time whose repertoire often placed male protagonists and antagonists at the center. Limón once said we truly know him by dancing his works. In the charged intensity between two men, I find myself asking: What was he working through? How did his relationships with the men in his life shape his choreography?
This curiosity led me to explore male power dynamics—and the undercurrents of homoeroticism—in The Emperor Jones, pairing it with the work of Diego Vega Solorza. Born in the same Mexican region as Limón, Diego weaves male power and queerness into his choreography.
As we launch our 80th Anniversary, I hope this program honors Limón’s legacy, celebrates the artists who bring his visions to life, and sparks new ways of imagining how his work resonates—generation after generation.
Dante Puleio, Artistic Director
PROGRAM NOTES

Guest Collaborators

EBE OKE (Composer, He/They) is a composer and interdisciplinary artist working across sound, performance, painting, composition and visual art. Their formative years on a bird sanctuary in South Georgia (US) underpin a practice that foregrounds non-human perspectives and interrogates the structures that govern identity, access, and inclusion. Ebe’s work draws on overlooked sensory registers—such as the choreographies of animal and plant life, and the tonal language of machines and birdsong—to surface forms of resonance and affective traces that move between species and systems. These expressions invite shifts in perception and offer openings for new forms of attention, relation, and ecological attunement. Ebe’s practice has evolved through a bespoke education, including composition lessons with Karlheinz Stockhausen, and mentorships and collaborations with artists such as AA Bronson, Brian Eno, and Laurie Anderson.
Their work has been presented internationally at venues including Tate St Ives, the Serpentine Gallery in London, The Kitchen and Pioneer Works in New York, Punkt Festival in Norway, Art Basel in Switzerland, Dommune in Tokyo, and most recently, the Biogeometry Institute for the Museum of Consciousness in Cairo, Egypt. Ebe’s debut album, SPECIES, explores themes of identity, healing, and non-human perspectives, featuring processed bird and insect sounds woven with precise programming, string arrangements, and treated vocals. Other works include FIELD, commissioned by AA Bronson for a multi-sensory installation, and DOKUMENT #2, a collaborative live album with Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno, released as limited edition vinyl in 2020. Ebe collaborates with the tech startup Wavepaths, which integrates generative music into psychedelic psychotherapy, and is currently a composer in residence at EMS in Stockholm.

DIEGO VEGA SOLORZA (Choreographer, He/Him) is a dancer, choreographer, and co-director of Trazo: Dance and Space Cycle, a platform aimed at making dance more visible in Mexico by bringing it to architectural spaces beyond the traditional stage. Born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, he began his training in 2010 in Hermosillo under the direction of Miguel Mancillas and Isaac Chau. In 2014, he joined the artistic program at Danscentrum Jette in Brussels, and a year later, he settled in Mexico City, where he has become one of the most relevant figures in contemporary dance. His artistic approach challenges the historical codes of dance in Mexico, using research as a central tool. For him, dance heritage is not a limitation but a starting point for expansion and new possibilities.
His work integrates architecture, video, photography, fashion, painting, and sculpture to broaden the perception of contemporary dance and propose new ways of inhabiting it. He has presented his work in theaters, alternative spaces, galleries, and museums across Mexico, the United States, China, Sweden, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Japan, France, Italy, and Spain. Among the institutions and platforms that have showcased his work are museums, festivals, and independent venues that have supported the consolidation of his unique stage language. His career positions him as an active agent in redefining the body, movement, and choreography within visual and performing culture, contributing to the creation of new landscapes for contemporary dance in Mexico.
DOMINIQUE RIDER (Dramaturg, They/Them) Dominique Rider is a Brooklyn-based transdisciplinary artist whose work seeks to answer the question: “What is a world unmade by slavery?" Deploying theatre and performance as tools of Afropessimism, Dominique has developed and staged work with The José Limón Dance Company, Portland Center Stage, Portland Stage, The Bushwick Starr, The New Group, The Park Avenue Armory, and more. Past fellowships/residencies include Kaleidoscope Dreams, Ars Nova, The Civilians R&D, The Atlantic, Hi-Arts, The National Black Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, NYSAF, BRIC Arts, Roundabout, and NAMT. Dominique is an artist in residence at Duke University and the cell. dominiquerider.com
PETA MCKENNA (Set Designer) Peta is set/production designer. Originally from Perth, Australia, Peta graduated from Saint Gregory's University in 2017 with a BFA and received her MFA at University of Florida in Scenic Design. Peta has spent the last several years working on projects in New York and LA, theatre, film and hospitality design. She worked as a scenic artist for Apple TV's Severance and Project Managed for clients including The Grammys, MET Opera and LA Opera. She has her second bar design opening in October in LA on Sunset Blvd and currently spends her days designing and building things in her backyard.
JULIO CESAR DELGADO (Costume Designer) Julio Cesar Delgado is a highly regarded Stylist and Costume Designer based in New York City. His career journey includes fashion editorials with renowned and prestigious fashion publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Magazine and WSJ Magazine.
His most recent costume design work can be seen on the dancers for Beyoncé Knowles-‘Carter’s Cowboy Carter Tour’ (2025) and the dancers for Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short N’ Sweet Tour’ (2024).
As the VIP Stylist and costume designer for artists such as Moses Sumney, Doechii, Kelela and Kali Uchis, Julio has showcased his unique creativity in projects ranging from music videos like Doechii’s Crazy to editorial features in CR Fashion Book, Interview Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar. A recent career highlight of his was working with director George Miller for Long Beach Opera’s ‘Isola’ (2024) where he collaborated with the Issey Miyake team in designing the costumes.
Another recent career highlight was working with installation artist Haegue Yang for 'The Malady of Death' (2023)' that premiered at the Guggenheim Museum this past winter in collaboration with Performa NYC. His other costume design work can be seen in Serpentwithfeet's 'Heart of Brick' (2023) for Kampnagel Hamburg, Solange Knowles’ 'Bridge-S' (2019) for the Getty Museum, and ‘We Might Appear as Forest Fires’ (2023) for the Berggruen Institute with director George Miller in Los Angeles, California. He has also worked with American opera singer Davóne Tines, most recently in collaboration with the Louisville Kentucky Orchestra to celebrate and honor the late and beautiful, Breonna Taylor.

