Ralph Lemon
Encyclopedia
Ralph Lemon was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. Lemon has been classified as many things; an African American dancer, a choreographer, company
director, a writer and a visual artist but he chooses to categorize himself as a conceptualist. He was raised in a religious environment where as a child he developed his artistic creativity. Early in his career, he used painting
as a source of expression, and as he discovered dance he utilized movement as a physical way of expression.
and theater arts at the University of Minnesota
. Upon graduation in 1975, Lemon trained with Nancy Hauser, who eventually asked Lemon to join her company
. Before Lemon participated, he cofounded Mixed Blood Theater Company in 1976, in Minneapolis. He eventually moved to New York where he met and danced with Meredith Monk
and her company. Soon after leaving Monk's company in 1985, he founded the Ralph Lemon Dance company. Over the length of his career he has worked with renowned companies such as the Limón
Dance Company, Alvin Ailey
's Repertory Ensemble, the Geneva Opera Ballet, Jacob's Pillow Dance Ensemble
, and Lyons Opera Ballet. Lemon also performed in a video documentary with choreographer Bebe Miller
.
Lemon is known for his collaboration
s in different media and with musicians. Ralph Lemon's work has been acknowledged with awards such as the National Endowment for the Arts
choreographic fellowship; American Choreographers Award, 1987; Gold Medal, New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award
, 1987. With a decade of success behind the Ralph Lemon Company, Lemon made a crucial decision to disband the company for varying reasons from financial to the pursuit of broadening his artistic interest.
The overall synopsis of the Geography Trilogy is to create a link and understanding to other cultures histories while evolving and experimenting with his artistic works in three different continents. For example, Geography formulated in Africa, Tree originated in Asia, and Come Home Charley Patton brought Lemon back to the United States. Ralph Lemon's creative journey began with Geography in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea. The journals he wrote gave insight into the life of an "American, African, brown, black, blue black, male, and artist." Embodying these characteristics, Lemon sought not only to create art about his culture but to connect with his heritage during the duration of his visit. Lemon then ventured to Asia for his next piece in the trilogy Tree. Tree is ritually structured through Buddhism, and reveals a conflict of cultural values pertaining to performance, race, identity, modernity and tradition. Lemon finished the trilogy in the US with Come Home Charley Patton, a piece that revisits a segregated time in history. The performance of Come Home Charley Patton shows how "different generations remember the same critical events and places; what kind of narratives do justice to traumatic memories; and what form memories can ultimately take through the aesthetic works of this project."
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Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. Lemon has been classified as many things; an African American dancer, a choreographer, company
Dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a spectacle or entertainment.-Members:*Artistic Director*Choreographers*Dancers*Board of Directors*Education administrator...
director, a writer and a visual artist but he chooses to categorize himself as a conceptualist. He was raised in a religious environment where as a child he developed his artistic creativity. Early in his career, he used painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
as a source of expression, and as he discovered dance he utilized movement as a physical way of expression.
Career and awards
Lemon began his educational career in literatureLiterature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and theater arts at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. Upon graduation in 1975, Lemon trained with Nancy Hauser, who eventually asked Lemon to join her company
Dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a spectacle or entertainment.-Members:*Artistic Director*Choreographers*Dancers*Board of Directors*Education administrator...
. Before Lemon participated, he cofounded Mixed Blood Theater Company in 1976, in Minneapolis. He eventually moved to New York where he met and danced with Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
and her company. Soon after leaving Monk's company in 1985, he founded the Ralph Lemon Dance company. Over the length of his career he has worked with renowned companies such as the Limón
José Limón
José Arcadio Limón was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. In 1928, at age 20, he moved to New York City where he studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1946, Limón founded the José Limón Dance Company...
Dance Company, Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
's Repertory Ensemble, the Geneva Opera Ballet, Jacob's Pillow Dance Ensemble
Jacob's Pillow
Jacob’s Pillow Dance is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive...
, and Lyons Opera Ballet. Lemon also performed in a video documentary with choreographer Bebe Miller
Bebe Miller
Bebe Miller is an American choreographer, dancer and director.-Biography:Daughter of an elementary school teacher and a ship steward, Bebe Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1950. She was raised in a public housing project in the Red Hook Nieghborhood...
.
Lemon is known for his collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
s in different media and with musicians. Ralph Lemon's work has been acknowledged with awards such as the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
choreographic fellowship; American Choreographers Award, 1987; Gold Medal, New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award
Bessie Awards
The New York Dance and Performance Awards, informally known as the Bessie Awards in honor of Bessie Schonberg, are awarded annually for innovative achievement in dance and related performances, particularly so-called "downtown" performances...
, 1987. With a decade of success behind the Ralph Lemon Company, Lemon made a crucial decision to disband the company for varying reasons from financial to the pursuit of broadening his artistic interest.
Geography Trilogy
Over a ten year span, Lemon created a trilogy that uses choreography to present social and political issues in numerous collaborative projects. Lemon recently finished the ten year art project, Geography Trilogy, which investigated an apparent collision of cultures and searched for personal and artistic identity within a broader spectrum. During Ralph Lemon's ten year trilogy creation, he wrote two books entitled Geography: Art, Race, Exile to correlate to the dance Geography and Tree: Belief, Culture, Balance which relates to the dance Tree. The third part of the trilogy, Come Home Charley Patton, is not a book. He ended up creating these two books as a result of physicality, emotional conflicts, spiritual connections and specifically cultural contradictions that lead to the numerous collaborations and experiences he gained.The overall synopsis of the Geography Trilogy is to create a link and understanding to other cultures histories while evolving and experimenting with his artistic works in three different continents. For example, Geography formulated in Africa, Tree originated in Asia, and Come Home Charley Patton brought Lemon back to the United States. Ralph Lemon's creative journey began with Geography in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea. The journals he wrote gave insight into the life of an "American, African, brown, black, blue black, male, and artist." Embodying these characteristics, Lemon sought not only to create art about his culture but to connect with his heritage during the duration of his visit. Lemon then ventured to Asia for his next piece in the trilogy Tree. Tree is ritually structured through Buddhism, and reveals a conflict of cultural values pertaining to performance, race, identity, modernity and tradition. Lemon finished the trilogy in the US with Come Home Charley Patton, a piece that revisits a segregated time in history. The performance of Come Home Charley Patton shows how "different generations remember the same critical events and places; what kind of narratives do justice to traumatic memories; and what form memories can ultimately take through the aesthetic works of this project."
Artistic style
Much of Lemon's success is attributed to his unique ability to express dramatic and emotional content through movement using new art forms. Ralph Lemon is currently the artistic director of Cross Performance Inc. in New York. Lemon strives to invent and be innovative with each performance he creates by conveying different concepts and using different media. The core of Ralph Lemon's style in his earlier works was atmospherically showcased with strong costumes and props to visually help the audience understand the narrative. By the early 1990s he strayed away from a theatrical style to a more movement oriented style by focusing on the body. Ralph Lemon uses both his art and anthropology backgrounds to influence his choreography, but he refrains from distorting the cultural importance of dance within traditions.Works
1984-- Ant's Burden (mus. Bob Roman), solo
- Romance (mus. Tom Waites)
- Folktales and Romance 4, evening-length performance produced by Dance Theatre Workshop, New York
- Boundary Water (mus. Beethoven), New Dance Ensemble of Minnesota
- Folktales with Men and Oranges, for Dance on the Lower East Side Festival, New York
- The Last Nights of Paris and Georgette, Dance Theatre Workshop
1985-
- Plan de Liebe, CoDanceCo
- Forest, (mus. Linda Bouchard), duet, American Dance Festival
- And the Jungle Will Obliterate the Shrine/Seasons, RLC
- Scarecrow, (mus. Hart)
1986-
- Flock, (mus. Sibelius), Jacob's Pillow Dance Ensemble
- En Su Llama Mortal, Ballet Hispancio of New York
- Two w/Bebe Miller (mus. Hyams Hart)
1987-
- Nightingales and Fisherman (mus. Bach)
- Les Noces (mus. Ravel, Debussy), RLC
- Waiting for Carnival, New Dance Ensemble
1988-
- Happy Trails (mus. country and western collage), RLC
- Cherubino and the Nightingale (mus. Mozart), RLC
- Folkdance Duet (mus. traditional Norwegian folk), RLC
- Folkdance, Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble
- Punchinello, Boston Ballet
1989-
- Joy (mus. Cale), RLC
- Sleep (mus. Fauré), RLC
1990-
- Joy (Solo), (mus. Satie), RLC
- Bogus Pomp, Lyons Opera Ballet
- Civilian, solo
1991-
- Persephone (mus. Davis), RLC
- Folkdance Sextet (mus. Beethoven), RLC
- Folkdance Solo (mus. taped conversation), RLC
- Don Juan, Graz Opera Ballet
1992-
- Their Eyes Rolled Back in Ecstasy (mus. Hyams Hart, Barret, chants), RLC
- Their Eyes Rolled Back in Ecstasy (Solo) (mus. Hyams Hart), RLC
- Phrases Almost Biblical, RLC
- My Tears Have Been My Meat Night and Day, Lyons Opera Ballet
- Folkdance (with Songs), Batsheva Dance Company
1993-
- Folkdance Sextet, The Metropolitan Ballet of Michigan
1996-
- Konbit, a video documentary collage
- Persephone, collaboration between Philip Trager, Rita Dove, Eavan Boland, and Andrew Szegedy-Maszak
1997-
- Geography, Part 1 in Geography Trilogy
1999-
- Three, a film created by Bebe Miller, and Isaac Julien
2000-
- Tree, Part 2 in Geography Trilogy
- Temples, a mixed media installation of works related to Tree
2001-
- Mirrors and Smoke, new media collaboration with Philip Mallory
- The Geography Trilogy, visual art installation
2004-
- Come Home Charley Patton, Part 3 in Geography Trilogy
2007-
- The Geography Trilogy DVD Archive Collection
- (The efflorescence of) Walter, Mixed media installation at The Kitchen, NYC May–June
- (The efflorescence of) Walter as part of Open-Ended (the art of engagement) exhibition at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota March–June
2009-
- Rescuing the Princess, Lyons Opera Ballet
2010-
- How Can you Stay in the House all Day and Not Go Anywhere
Publications
- Persephone With Eavan Boland, Rita Dove, and Phillip Trager, Middletown, Connecticut, 1996.
- Geography: Art, Race, Exile. By Ralph Lemon. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University PressWesleyan University PressWesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The Press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist...
, 2000
- Tree: Belief, Culture, Balance. By Ralph Lemon.