“Ritmo Jondo,” the Flamenco-inspired work created for the world-famous José Limón Dance Company, finally gets its South Florida premiere more than six decades after its debut.
Dance Now! Miami will perform a reconstruction of the show, which features Flamenco-inspired dance, along Spanish music and themes, on Friday, Dec. 16, at Colony Theater in Miami Beach.
The reconstruction was created for the South Florida modern dance company by Daniel Lewis, a former dancer and choreographer with Limón, who is now an expert and consultant on the iconic dancer.
“This work is perfect for Miami. The community will love the choreography, the Spanish score, and the story, with its rich portrayals of men and women interacting in the way they did back when the dance was created,” said Lewis.
Photo: Larry Chidsey.
Doris Humphrey, a renowned dancer and choreographer in the early twentieth century, created “Ritmo Jondo” for Limón’s dance company, and it was last year, while he was visiting with Humphrey’s son that the subject of “Ritmo Jondo” came up, according to Lewis.
“I know that it is the policy of Dance Now! to present one major reconstruction a year, and I also knew that 'Ritmo Jondo' is rarely seen and that a full production of the work hadn’t been mounted in decades,” Lewis said.
Lewis, the former New World School for the Arts’ dean of dance, is writing his autobiography, and so he was especially eager to immerse himself in that period and bring “Ritmo Jondo” back to life.
“Ritmo Jondo” was originally performed in a concert of percussion music at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The work, which takes place in three scenes, is drawn from gypsy music, and alternates from improvised to stylized Flamenco music and dance, and also includes, in contrast, a scene that is based on the mournful, ritual dance of that takes place in Seville on Good Friday.
Hannah Baumgarten, the co-director of Dance Now! believes the audience will be delight in the dance and music, but also be drawn into the story.
“This is a perfect work for South Florida because it was created for the Limón dance company and because of the wonderful music by the famous Catalon composer Carlos Surinach. And then there is also a story in which these Machismo men come and take these mourning women and then leave them,” she said.
In addition to entertaining audiences, Dance Now! considers its mission also to educate audiences, which is the reason why it offers a reconstruction of a classic modern dance each year, Baumgarten said. “Most people think modern dance is recent; they don’t realize that it dates back over a century,” says Baumgarten.
The evening will also be special because of Lewis’ history with the work. He will provide the introduction, and will also offer anecdotes and insights from his years working with Limón, she noted.
In addition to Ritmo Jondo, two original pieces choreographed by Baumgarten and the company’s co-director, Diego Salterini will round out the program.
“Although the pieces performed will be from different periods, they all have one thing in common that ties them together,” said Baumgarten, adding, “They are pieces about people who have a passion for life.”
"Ritmo Jondo" will be performed Friday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. at the Colony Theater
1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Call 305-674-1040. More info: www.dancenowmiami.org.
