José Arcadia Limón (1908-1972) is remembered as a pioneer of modern dance and choreography. He firmly established the importance of the male dancer in American modern dance through the heroes he created and the masculine movement style of his choreography for men.

Limón was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. His father, a musician, conductor, and pedagogue, was a widower and father of three when he married 16-year-old Francisca Traslaviña. She bore him 11 children (and another three who died at birth), of which Limón was the eldest. His mother was a devout Catholic and raised the children accordingly.

The Mexican revolution wreaked havoc in Limón's young life; at the age of five he witnessed the death by gunshot of a young uncle. His father directed various military bands during this period, and the family had to...