MEET LIMÓN2
Lena Lauer
(she / they)
Director of Limón Institute
As a dance and teaching artist, Lena created and performed work from the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest to the Andes Mountains of South America. She has taught, performed and made dances for universities, inner-city schools, private studios, for adults, youth, the aging, pre-professional dancers, dance enthusiasts and dancers with disabilities. In 2013, Lena co-founded The Lovelies, a 4th-generation dance improvisation company that performs and teaches all over the U.S. Lena’s priorities include mentoring emerging young artists on their individual career path and she is thrilled to be leading Limón2 into its second season.
The 75th Anniversary of the Limón Dance Company brings a new legacy for the José Limón Dance Foundation:
Limón2 - The Foundation’s second Company.
Limón2 is dedicated to the development of young professionals for a sustainable career and lasting contributions to the dance world. Limón2 also seeks to generate innovative programming and accessible community engagement.
This inaugural artistic venture brings together young talent, the iconic works of José Limón, along with today’s most exciting up and coming choreographers. The treasured spirit and humanistic legacy of José Limón lives on with Limón2!
Photo: James Hartley
Lihong Chan
L2 Company Member
Lihong, a Bay Area California native, currently based in New York, began her training under Beth Hoge and at ODC in San Francisco with Kimi Okada. She received her BFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020. There she performed with the company in residence, Santa Barbara Dance Theater, and the UCSB Dance Company. Lihong had the opportunity to train with and perform works by faculty members Christopher Pilafian, Brandon Whited, Christina McCarthy, guest choreographer Ephrat Asherie and Limón repertory restaged by Alice Condodina. Most recently, Lihong had the opportunity to be a part of Limón2’s inaugural season last year and dance with the Limón Dance Company.
Lihong Chan
(She/Her)
Danielle Goodman
L2 Company Member
Danielle is a Phoenix, Arizona native and from a young age trained in a multitude of styles. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in dance and a minor in nutritional science from the University of Arizona where she had the opportunity to perform choreography from Sam Watson, Tamara Dyke- Compton, and George Balanchine. Danielle had the opportunity to perform with Katy Perry at the Super Bowl XLIX and spent her summers learning and performing at Perry Mansfield, Giordano Dance Chicago Summer Intensive, Limón Summer Intensives, and Houston Contemporary Summer Intensive. There she performed works by Peter Chu, Alex Ketley, José Limón, Ja’Malik, and Autumn Eckman. Since graduating, Danielle has danced with Caterina Rago Dance Company as an apprentice and completed the LimónPro and LimónLaunch training programs. Danielle is excited to be a part of Limón2!
Danielle Goodman
(She/Her)
(She/Her)
Edu Hernandez
L2 Company Member
Edu Hernandez (Montebello, CA) is a dancer and choreographer. He is a graduate student in BFA Dance from Cal State Long Beach. In the past he has performed the work of Queala Clancy, Issa Hourani, Rebecca Lemme, Ohad Naharin, José Limón, Omar Román de Jesús and Kensaku Shinohara. Eduardo was a choreographer and director for the CSULB Fall Dance Festival 2020 and his screen work was an official selection for the 92Y Mobile Dance Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Dance Festival and the Midwest RAD Festival. Recently he has performed at the Inland Empire Dance Festival 2021, the 75th Anniversary José Limón Gala at the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library and The Joyce Theater.
Edu Hernandez
(He/Him)
Cara Laughlin
L2 Company Member
Cara began her dance training in her hometown of Huntington Beach, California, and then went on to receive her BFA in Dance Performance at the University of California, Irvine in 2021, training in a multitude of styles. She has danced with Akomi Dance under the direction of Marie Hoffman, and has also worked with many choreographers and teachers including Charlotte Griffin, Chad Michael Hall, Lindsay Gilmour, Katarzyna Skarpetowska, and Lar Lubovitch. She has also performed in Rome, Italy with DTM2 under the direction of Lisa Naugle where she performed original works at Conservatorio Santa Cecilia. Last year, Cara danced in the Limón Training Program and also received her Pilates teacher certification with Studio du Corps.
Cara Laughlin
(She/Her)
Sarah Marchesseault
L2 Company Member
Sarah (Herndon, VA) began her dance training at the Russell School of Ballet, studying under Margaret Virkus, Marcela Figueroa, and Kista Tucker. She received her BFA in Modern Dance from Texas Christian University, graduating summa cum laude from the John V. Roach Honors College. At TCU, Sarah studied under Susan Douglas Roberts, Nina Martin, and Adam McKinney, and performed works by José Limón, Francisco Aviña, Elijah AlhadjiGibson, and Christian von Howard. In Spring 2020, she studied abroad at the University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts and had the opportunity to work with Meryl Tankard. Sarah has also attended summer intensives with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Texas Ballet Theater. In 2021-22 Sarah was a Limón Trainee and is now overjoyed to be joining L2.
Sarah Marchesseault
(She/Her)
Sara LaPadula
L2 Company Member
Sara is a contemporary/modern dancer born and raised in Westchester, New York. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May of 2021, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Minor in Education. Sara was first introduced to Limón during high school and furthered her studies during her college career with Paul Dennis, former Limón company member. She has performed works by a variety of choreographers within the Five College Dance Consortium including Camille A. Brown, Uri Sands, and a soloist role in Jose Limón's A Choreographic Offering. Upon graduating, she began training with the José Limón Dance Foundation as a part of their professional training program and is ecstatic to be returning as a member of the Foundation's second Company. Sara is also a teaching artist across Westchester County, New York, as well as a Certified Personal Trainer at Equinox.
Sara LaPadula
(She/Her)
Ryan Tucker
L2 Company Member
Ryan Tucker began their dance training as a freshman at San José State University earning their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2019. This rich experience allowed them exposure to such choreographers as Doug Varone, Kyle Abraham, Mike Esperanza, and Kara Davis, as well as exposure to master works. Ryan also had the privilege of performing Kara Davis’s “Exoskeleton” at the American College Dance Association’s national gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Heather Cooper and Raphaël Boumaïla’s "And suddenly we see..." on the famous Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out stage. Since graduating Ryan has had the privilege to work with sjDANCEco under the artistic direction of Gary Masters and Maria Basile, REACH BC Dance Company in San Francisco. Ryan is currently a Dance Training and Arts Administration intern with the José Limón Dance Foundation, and they are beyond thrilled, excited, and honored to become a member of Limón2.
Ryan Tucker
(They/Them)
Blue Richardson
L2 Company Member
Blue Richardson was born and raised in Boston MA. His mission to better his community blossomed at a young age. Working with his first community service organization, Close To Home, Blue aided in helping teens and young adults to utilize their time in ways that would promote a promising future. He began his training in Classical and Modern techniques at the age of 14, upon being accepted to Boston Arts Academy.
He is a 2022 graduate of the University of Hartford, where he worked with choreographers Bryan Arias and Gabrielle Lamb, among others.
From performing original works set by exquisite freelance artists, to learning and performing works set by historical figures over 100 years ago, Blue’s artistry is expansive and wildy versatile. Blue aims to continue his mission of uniting his community through artistic creations and collaborations throughout his professional career, including Limón2’s second season.