Limon Troupe Seizes Inventive Spirit of Its Legacy

From a strongly trained, committed roster to a diverse and challenging repertory, the Jose Limon Dance Company set an imposing standard of modern dance artistry with its four-part program at Cal State L.A. on Friday.

Nothing, however, eclipsed the soul and invention of a suite from Limon’s own “Choreographic Offering” (1964), in which he developed motifs from works by his mentor, the late Doris Humphrey, as a tribute to her pioneer spirit. Propelled by Bach’s “Musical Offering,” this plotless company showpiece drew its dance sculpture from deep within the body, so even the most celebratory moments had weight and resonance.

Nearly a quarter-century after his death, Limon can still surprise you with his use of legs that swing like pendulums or the way he creates a sense of group unity without unison lineups. And his musicality remains inspiring. Seen at the Wiltern on the same weekend, the dances for Mark Morris’ “Orfeo ed Euridice” also attempted to fuse brash, contemporary, all-American movement with courtly, mid-18th century music, building upon Limon’s innovations without surpassing them.

The Limon program also included striking 1948 solos by Daniel Nagrin, which delivered pithy observations about super-cool, super-violent thugs (“Strange Hero”) and the pride and freedom of flamenco (“Spanish Dance”). Paul Dennis lovingly detailed the former and Nina Watt made the latter into a potent pre-feminist manifesto.

Donald McKayle’s skillfully crafted “Sombra y Sol (Images of Frida Kahlo)” (1991) suggested that the late Mexican artist lived vicariously through her paintings. However, the biographical material wasn’t always clear--perhaps because the bright, energetic music by Aaron Copland provided no sustained opportunities for anything other than splashy dance spectacle. Carla Maxwell brought enough dignity to the role of Kahlo to bridge the puzzling passages and reconnect to its vibrant nature images.

Ralph Lemon’s new “pale grass and blue, and then red” (music by Anthony Davis) offered loose clusters of group activity that would suddenly implode into statements of incredible heat and density before quickly disintegrating. A very slippery and often exciting ride with a fake-out ending that seemed to disconcert the small but generally enthusiastic Luckman Theater audience.

* The Limon Dance Company appears May 6 at 8 p.m. in the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive at Bridge Road. Tickets: $6 (students) to $15. (714) 854-4646.