Dancing Across Cultural Bounds:
A review of José Limón through a Transnational Lens
Many people in the dance community and beyond view 20th Century choreographer José Limón as a “Mexican-born dancer who shaped American Modern dance into what it is today.” The first way he is categorized is through his nationality, almost immediately followed by his migratory status. And especially in today’s political climate in America, immigrant is a loaded word. The mind jumps to making conclusions about Limón and fails to recognize what he did for dance as an innovator in the art form. Instead he should be praised for the ground he has broken as a relocated dancer, which may be best understood if he is viewed through a transnational lens and is connected to both cultures instead of just the one he moved into.
Limón broke barriers in this regard, but less in the context of “colonial mimicry” and more so in the context of transnational identity. Essentially, Limón was not creating art under a suppressive colonial regime, but instead was uprooted and moved into a foreign land. He brought elements of his Mexican culture into his dance technique and choreography instead of totally assimilating to the American standard of what dance should be at that time. This was aided by the volatility in the dance world in general, as Limón entered the scene as modern dance was being birthed and codified. It was easier for audiences to accept ideas that they were unfamiliar with, such including aspects of Mexican culture in dance, because there was no implicit understanding of what modern dance “should be”, unlike in the more rigid ballet community. This environment gave Limón the perfect opportunity to shape the modern dance scene in America at the time.
However, not every element that Limón brought to modern dance was so progressive and connected. In many of Limón’s works there is an underlying or overt expression of “machismo,” the sense of “exaggerated masculinity and self-reliance” traditionally promoted in Mexican culture. He riddled his works with strenuous jumps, falls, and turns — praising the extreme feats of the male body. This is not an inherently bad thing, but his work must be regarded from a cultural and transnational standpoint instead of as unbiased movement. Overall, José Limón, used elements from both cultures he was connected to in order to push modern dance radically forward to the mostly open and accepting dance form that we know and love today despite its flaws.
