The Moor’s Pavane

Dancers Lateef Williams and Catherine Russell. Photographer Steve Wilson.
Dancers Lateef Williams and Catherine Russell. Photographer Steve Wilson.

Choreography: Jose Limon
Music: Henry Purcell

Though subtitled “Variations on the theme of Othello”, this dance is not intended as a choreographic version of Shakespeare’s play. In the form of a pavane and other dances of the high Renaissance, the legend is told of the hapless Moor, his wrongfully suspected wife, the Moor’s treacherous friend and his wife. The four characters portray the tragedy of Everyman, and the ballet is, therefore, timeless in its implications. This work has been cited by critics the world over as Jose Limon’s “masterpiece.”

The music for The Moor’s Pavane was especially arranged for Jose Limon by his music director, Simon Sadoff. The music was derived from two suites by Henry Purcell, “The Gordian Knot Untied” and “Abdelazer, or The Moor’s Revenge”.


World Premiere: Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut, Second American Dance Festival, August 17, 1949.

Kansas City Ballet Premiere: February 22, 2007, Lyric Theatre.


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