We recently connected with Dante Puleio and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dante thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I came to the field of dance later than most. I was playing catch up from the start and was thankful for any opportunity that came my way. I discovered dance at 19 and moved to another country to study. Since then I went on to become a principal and soloist with one of the world’s most revered modern dance companies. I had a successful and diverse performing career, in concert dance, musical theatre and film. Upon retiring I returned to school for my MFA which led to university teaching and three years later, because of my research, was appointed the Artistic Director of the very company that anchored my performing career.

I often hear people say “if I knew then what I know now…..” and I am so thankful that I didn’t. I was oblivious to so much of the world. The amount of fearlessness I seemed to walk through the world with as a young person I try to recall, as I fear that my experience has somehow made me less of a risk taker, the further my career advanced the more there was to lose and the more wary I became of taking big risks. I bet on myself in unimaginable ways, and even though it paid off, I haven’t learned that lesson to keep doing so and that fear is what holds me back now.

I speak from a place of rediscovering what risk means from this vantage point, from a person who is now so visible in the field; there are only a handful of people sitting in positions like mine, and in an art form that can be challenging to access and where funding and support can be fickle, every decision I makes impacts many and those risks I took so liberally at one time feel further away each day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My bio:
A widely respected former member of the Limón Dance Company for more than a decade, I am the sixth Artistic Director in the Company’s 78-year history, a position that originated with Doris Humphrey. After a diverse performing career with the Limón Dance Company, touring national and international musical theatre productions, television and film, I received my MFA from University of California, Irvine. My research focuses on contextualizing mid 20th century dance for the contemporary artist and audience and I implement that research by celebrating José Limón’s historical legacy and reimagining his intention and vision to reflect the rapidly shifting 21st century landscape. As Artistic Director I curate the work of José Limón and Doris Humphrey with the work of contemporary choreographers. for concert dance programs that tour globally, annually.

My Company’s bio:
Founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of American Modern dance since its inception and is considered one of the world’s greatest dance companies. Choreographer and dancer José Limón is credited with creating one of the world’s most important and enduring dance legacies— an art form responsible for the creation, growth and support of modern dance in this country. Acclaimed for its dramatic expression, technical mastery and expansive, yet nuanced movement, the Limón Dance Company illustrates the timelessness of José Limón’s work and vision. The Company’s repertory, which includes classic works in addition to new commissions from contemporary choreographers, possesses an unparalleled breadth and creates unique experiences for audiences around the world.

Personal blurb to reading this:
Even though this may all sound fancy now, I came from humble beginnings, divorced parents, living with a single mom who worked several jobs, while I was home taking care of my baby sister. I remember dancing around my living room to Donna Summer and Michael Jackson, I never knew dancing could be a job until I was truly introduced to the possibilities in college.

What I am most proud of is that this company was founded by a queer, immigrant artist of color in the mid 20th century. He was the first cultural ambassador for the United States and this is the longest running modern dance company to survive its founder. The company has been in existence for 78 years and Limón died over 50 years, and we are still on the forefront of dance. It is a true testament to the man who made this work and the generations of people that have continued to support his legacy.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Leadership in the 21st century, especially post pandemic leadership, is mercurial. I experienced more leadership that I don’t want to emulate than leadership that inspired me. Of course, I learned “how to” and “how not to” from both, unfortunately I am often thinking about the “how not to’s”, which leads me to being overly self-critical , self conscious and sometimes lost.

I try to stay away from leading from these places of insecurity and in the practice of reminding myself that the shards of imposter syndrome whispering and poking and prodding are ghosts from another time, guide rails built when I needed different forms of self protection.

As a “recovering people pleaser”, it is an active process to release what others are thinking, it’s none of my business what others are thinking anyway.

It is the unlearning of what I used to keep me safe when I had less tools, and trusting that I have what I need now to lead with clarity and inspiration.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

The need to define something in order to understand it. I find that is often what makes art a challenge to digest.

How often have you seen a piece of art but didn’t know how to engage with it beyond “I liked it” or “didn’t like it”?

Usually the fear of “sounding stupid” keeps people from asking and speaking about the work. I love when people ask the most basic questions with no fear; when I was dancing, questions. like “how did you remember all the steps” or “how much money do you make,” or the big scary question…. “what was it about”, all started some of the greatest conversations.

These fearless, basic questions led to discussions about muscle memory and the body’s relationship with music and rhythm, to the lack of fiscal support for arts in the US to, what i find the most important topic, allowing yourself to experience something without the need to put words to it, because elementally, that seems to be one of the biggest hurdles in talking about art. It is not part of the American education system. We are standardized and taught correct or incorrect, fill in this bubble or that bubble, when life is more complex than the divisive “this or that”.

Letting go is a not a practice that is generally encouraged as a path to understanding.

My go to when talking to someone about dance (who may not have much experience or understanding of it); I usually start with, our body is our first instrument, we know it better than anything and most of us understand other bodies as well but don’t realize it. Suppose you are at a party and someone enters the room in a rush of anger or joy or flirtation or annoyance but says nothing, you can sense something has changed, a look in their eye or their focused walk as they cut through the space, you may not know the details of that person’s situation but you feel the energy shift. Watching dance is the same, quieting the mind, listening to your instincts and letting your senses guide your experience to be open to the feeling of mood shifts versus building a narrative, If it could be written about it then we would write about it, dance, at least in my world tends to focus on the the feeling surrounding a moment versus the thought process that follows that mysterious, palpable and indescribable moment of an emotion.

Dance can be “about” many things, as in any art form, but as a foundation I find this a good place to start to unravel what may seem like a coded and inaccessible world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://limon.nyc
• Instagram: limondance
• Facebook: limondance
• Linkedin: limondance

Image Credits

Jay Breneman
Kelly Puleio
Alison Armfield