Welcome to Cuesheet,

a performance guide

published by the

Education Department

of the John F. Kennedy

Center for the Performing

Arts, Washington, D.C.

This Cuesheet is designed

to help you enjoy the

Limón Dance Company

performance for

young people.

The dance

shoe marks

topics for discussion

or activities you may

want to do with other

students, friends,

or family.

The Limón Dance Companyis a group of moderndancers that performs theworks of José Limón.He was an important choreographer—a creator of dances—who lived from 1908 to 1972.

COLOR PHOTOS BY ROSALIE O’CONNOR

The Moor’s Pavane

Pavane (pronounced puh-VAHN)is a French word for a slow,stately court dance that noble

people and royalty used to perform.

The Moor’s Pavane is based on an old Italian legend--the same storyShakespeare used for his tragedy,Othello. Othello is a Moor—a man fromthe North African country of Morocco.The play is a tragedy because Othello’sflaws cause his downfall, and there isno happy ending.

José Limón’s

“I try to composeworks that areinvolved with man’s basic tragedy and thegrandeur of his spirit.”

–José Limón

The Story of Othello

Othello is an accomplished militaryman married to the beautifulDesdemona, whom he loves deeply.Iago (ee-AH-go), a lower-rankedofficer, is jealous of Othello’s successand his wife, and plots to destroy him.He whispers rumors to Othello, accusingDesdemona of having an affair. Othellobecomes suspicious. Iago’s wife, Emilia,is Desdemona’s maid. She findsDesdemona’s handkerchief—one thatOthello gave her as a token of his love.The missing handkerchief is used as

part of Iago's story to Othello.In a fit of rage and

jealousy, Othello kills his innocent wife.

Emilia, Desdemona, and the handkerchief

Othello and Desdemona

When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,

Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,

Nor set down aught in malice: then, must you speak

Of one that lov'd not wisely but too well;

Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,

Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand,

...threw a pearl away....—Shakespeare’s Othello

Elements of Dance in The Moor’s PavaneIn 1949, Limon (Lee-MOAN) createdone of his most famous works—TheMoor’s Pavane. In it, his choreographyclearly shows the elements of dance—space, time, gesture, and energy.

SpaceChoreographers consider how to usethe space—usually a stage—in which the dancers will perform. They maychoose to have dancers use only parts of the stage, or move through the whole space. Often, dancers willtrace patterns—called floor patterns—as they move through space.

In The Moor’s Pavane, watch how

Limón uses circular floor patterns and

criss-crossing of the dancing pairs as

in a court dance. The floor pattern also

looks a bit like a spider’s web—woven

by Iago to catch Othello.

Choreographers also use levels:• High levels—such as arms reaching

up overhead• Low levels—movements close to

the floor

Watch for level changes in Desdemona’s

death scene in The Moor’s Pavane.

In this dance scene, Limón uses falling,

or movement that gives into gravity,

to represent giving into death. Othello

pushes Desdemona to the floor as he

gives in to his jealousy and rage.

TimeChoreographers use time when they decide how quickly or slowlymovement should be performed.

Limón uses the speed of movement to

portray the emotional state of his

characters in The Moor’s Pavane. At first,

the dancing is evenly paced and controlled.

After Iago gives Othello Desdemona’s

handkerchief, watch how everyone’s

movements become fast.

GestureChoreographers often use gestures—movements from everyday life—in their dances.

Watch for the whispering of Iago into

Othello’s ear, and Othello’s hitting or

whipping arm movements afterwards.

EnergyChoreographers use energy to vary the way movements are performed.The same movement can be slow and strong, or light and quick.

Watch how Othello’s leg kicks forward

quickly and strongly, showing his anger at

the idea Desdemona might be unfaithful

to him. When he dances with Desdemona,

watch for slow, flowing, loving movements.

Learning Activity

Dancing the Story

Before the performance,think about (and if youlike, practice) what gestures, movements, or dance steps thechoreographer might useto show the following:

Othello’s anger at Iagowhen he suggests hiswife has been unfaithful

Othello’s reaction toreceiving Desdemona’shandkerchief from Iago

Othello’s grief whenhe realizes he has killedhis innocent wife

After the performance, compare your ideas withthe choreographer’s.

The death of Desdemona

Limón’s version ofOthello

Shakespeare’s play has 13characters. To highlight theemotional drama of the story

in dance, Limón uses only fourcharacters in The Moor’s Pavane—Othello, Iago, Desdemona, and Emilia.On a bare stage, the four dancers tellthe story through movement alone.Limón’s use of the formal court dance—the pavane—suggests that appearances can be deceiving. Although at first the dance seems controlled and formal, strong emotions lie beneath the ceremonial movements.

Choreographer José Limón

Limón was born in Mexico and movedto California at age six. The oldest often children, he left art school to carefor his siblings when his mother died.Years later, he wanted so much to be apainter that he hitchhiked to New YorkCity with only $27 in his pocket.

After seeing a dance performance atage 20, Limón decided to changeprofessions. He began studying dance

with teacher and choreographerDoris Humphrey. From her,Limón learned the art ofchoreography and theelements of dance—space,time, gesture, and energy.Limón formed his own

dance company in 1946.

Stephen A. SchwarzmanChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

Cuesheets are funded in part throughthe support of the Butz Foundation;the Carter and Melissa CafritzCharitable Trust; Chevy Chase Bank;Citigroup Foundation; the D.C.Commission on the Arts andHumanities; Ms. Nancy J. Davis;Fannie Mae Foundation; the EllaFitzgerald Charitable Foundation;the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund;The Jacob and Charlotte LehrmanFoundation; the MackintoshFoundation; Newman’s Own; PublixSupermarkets, Inc.; Dr. Deborah Roseand Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; thePresident’s Advisory Committee on the Arts; Prince Charitable Trusts;the Hattie M. Strong Foundation; andthe U.S. Department of Education.

The Moor’s Pavane CuesheetEditor: Rosalind FlynnWriter: Kirsten BodensteinerDesigner: Simmons Design

Cuesheets are produced byARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center EducationDepartment and a member of the MarcoPolo Consortium.

For more information about the performing arts and arts education,visit our Web sites:kennedy-center.org/educationartsedge.kennedy-center.org

Questions, comments? Write us atcuesheets@artsedge.kennedy-center.org.

© 2005, The John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts

The U.S. Department of Educationsupports approximately one-third ofthe budget for the Kennedy CenterEducation Department. The contentsof this Cuesheet do not necessarilyrepresent the policy of the U.S.Department of Education, and youshould not assume endorsement bythe Federal Government.

Choreographer

José Limón

Othello and Iago

The Court Dance and the