José Limón was a crucial figure in the development of modern dance. Born in Mexico, Limón moved to New York City in 1928 after a year at UCLA as an art major.

In 1946, after studying and performing for 10 years with Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, he established his own company, the Limón Dance Company with Humphrey as Artistic Director. Limón he created his signature dance, The Moor’s Pavane, in 1949 and was a consistently productive choreographer throughout his life. until his death in 1972, choreographing at least one new piece each year, and he was also an influential teacher and advocate for modern dance.

He was also an influential teacher and advocate for modern dance. His autobiographical writings, An Unfinished Memoir, were edited by Lynn Garafola and published in 1999.