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Ralph Lemon: The New Romanticism |
| Section: THE ARTS / DANCE |
| Author: Gary Parks |
| Publication:
The World & I Online |
| Issue Date: 9/1/1991 |
| Size: 1,982 Words, 11,938 Characters |
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"Rhododendron, salvia, tulip, lilac, wisteria, azalea, begonia, camellia, dogwood, eucalyptus, gladiolus, heliotrope." How do I love thee? In Ralph Lemon's newest dance, Persephone, the good of the underworld counts the many ways he loves the goddess of spring by reciting a sweet litany of blossoms. Then he rapes her.
The thirst for intimate relationships, together with the violence that often arises from them, is never far from the surface in Lemon's work. Over the past several years, Lemon, thirty-eight, has emerged as one of the most interesting American modern dance choreographers because he's one of the most humane. His dances are tough but tenderhearted. From the shimmering Boundary Water, created in 1984, through Sleep, a deeply moving work from 1989, to Persephone, which premiered at New York City's Joyce Theatre in May, he has explored the promise, and the broken promises, of love.
In the works he creates for his troupe, the Ralph Lemon Company, this choreographer practices a new kind of romanticism, one that doesn't leave stars in your eyes. Yet no matter how bleak a picture he paints, you never get the feeling that Lemon is cynical. He may be looking fo...
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...ss of Sleep, like all of Lemon's work, is based on the universality of experience, the shared concerns that are most fundamental. He's not afraid to let the drama overshadow the steps, and he doesn't fear that showing us the rough side of domesticity will frighten us away. In the end, it's his humanity that makes this talented dancemaker a true artist. Lemon's strength lies in his compassion.
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Publication Details
(The World & I Online) |
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The World & I Online is a
comprehensive academic resource that encompasses a broad range of
articles by scholars and experts in the areas of Global Studies,
Liberal Arts, Fine & Applied Arts, General Science, and Spanish.
Originally published monthly in print as The World & I, our site
includes the complete contents since 1986 and continues to publish
a new issue online each month. |
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