Isabella DeCandido, a junior pursuing a BFA in Ballet and a B.S. in Kinesiology, has been a fan and student of José Limón’s choreography for a while. “I’ve had a couple of Limón classes over the years, and I just always really enjoyed the style,” she said on a break from rehearsing Limón’s “Psalm.” “I’ve loved watching any clips I can find on YouTube, so I was really excited for the chance to even audition. The fact I’m doing it is just so exciting.”

Being performed in Utah for the first time since the 2002 Winter Olympics, “Psalm” features 12 student dancers from the School of Dance. Natalie Desch, associate professor, who danced with the company from 1996 to 2001, is also a certified reconstructor of Limón’s choreography and is setting the work on the student dancers. She was a key force behind bringing the company to the University of Utah, along with School of Dance Director Melonie Murray and UtahPresents Executive Director Chloe Jones.

“As a dance educator here at the U and a former member of the Limón Dance Company, I am thrilled to share part of the Limón repertory with our students. Not only have these young dancers been immersed in choreography that carries José Limón’s legacy forward, but they also will have the experience of sharing the stage with professional performers of the highest caliber in the dance field,” Desch said. “I can’t think of a richer, more multi-tiered educational experience for our students to be exposed to.”

One of the 20th century’s most important and influential dance makers, Limón spent his career pioneering a new art form and fighting for its recognition. He wrote in his choreographic notes that he wanted “Psalm” to be “an evocation of the heroic power of the human spirit, triumphant over death itself.” CriticalDance called the work “a masterpiece, with compelling subject matter and choreography.”

Freshman ballet student Zoe Lammers, one of the student dancers, is new to Limón’s work. “I’ve only really dipped my toe into modern dance, so this is a whole new experience, but it’s making me more interested in modern classes, modern repertoire,” Lammers said. “I really like that the piece is about something deeper than just dance; it’s about the idea of life and death, which is really interesting to move around with.”

Student dancer Caitlyn Camchong, a senior in ballet, is also new to Limón. “This is my first time doing any Limón work,” she said. “I’ve definitely been learning a lot about the whole Limón technique, like he has codified technique, so that’s been interesting to learn.”

“As I witness the dedication of these young performers in the work, I feel they wholly honor Limón’s intentions. The rhythms of their feet, heartbeats, and breath all work toward this celebration of the human spirit,” Desch added.

Along with the student performance of “Psalm,” Limón Dance Company will perform one of Limón’s classic works, “Mazurkas.” “Mazurkas,” or as it was first titled “Dances in Honor of Poznan, Wroclaw, Katowicz and Warszawa,” was created in honor of these cities and their people in Poland. Performed to a selection of Chopin’s “Mazurkas,” these dances are a tribute to the people’s heroic spirit in their revival after World War II. For this historical reconstruction, the work will be presented in its entirety for the first time since 1964.

Limón Dance Company will also perform a 2025 work by celebrated contemporary choreographer Aszure Barton, featuring music by Ambrose Akinmusire. “Ambrose and I create consciously together and hope to encourage people to join together, all while embracing honesty as care,” Barton wrote in the program notes. “By cultivating an environment of presence and deep listening, we are able to return to our bodies, accept our loneliness and make space to celebrate the truth of what is—that our power as a collective is in our ability to connect, and that coming-together is joy (never without its challenge)!”

“José Limón is a legendary choreographer whose influence on dance is still felt around the globe,” said Chloe Jones, executive director at UtahPresents and dean for Art & Creative Engagement in the College of Fine Arts. “Now celebrating its 80th anniversary, the Limón Dance Company remains at the cutting edge of dance today. They perform Limón’s groundbreaking works alongside new choreography inspired by his legacy, bringing audiences an experience that transcends time.”

Asked what audiences will enjoy from the performance, DeCandido said, “There are moments when you’re really high up in your body and you’re just so lifted up and pulled up and then the next moment you’re really down and low and like almost touching the floor; you’re so low. And the musicality is so, it’s just so beautiful.”

Limón Dance Company, featuring School of Dance students, will perform on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Kingsbury Hall. General public tickets range from $18 to $85 and are available at utahpresents.org. University of Utah students can purchase tickets for $5 through the Arts Pass program, and faculty and staff can get a 20% discount by presenting their UCard at the Kingsbury Hall box office.

School of Dance students will also perform excerpts from “Psalm” in their Unbound program running Oct. 1-10 at the Marriott Center for Dance. Visit dance.utah.edu for more information.