Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias (1946)

Choreography: Doris Humphrey, Music: Norman Lloyd 

“Doris Humphrey, who was co-founder of the Limón Company in 1946, made this dance to a poem by Federico Garcia Lorca -- a poem celebrating a bullfighter. Humphrey dedicated the dance to soldiers who enter the arena alone and die alone. It ties into duende, flamenco, life and death. I believe it's also the first dance to incorporate spoken text by a dancer and an actor. This was the dance that made Jose's name as an outstanding American male dancer.” (Carla Maxwell)

The Traitor (1954)

Choreography: José Limón, Music: Gunther Schuller

The Traitor was Limon's response to the McCarthy hearings and the climate of betrayal that haunted the arts and entertainment fields during this period. Against a music score of violence, passion, and tenderness, the tragedy of Judas is portrayed as if it were taking place in modern times.