José Limón Dance Foundation to Host Memorial for Carla Maxwell at Joyce Theater

On Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 7PM, the José Limón Dance Foundation will host a Memorial for Carla Maxwell at The Joyce Theater in celebration of her life and legacy.

Admission is free, and tickets are available at https://secure.givelively.org/event/jose-limon-dance-foundation/in-memory-of-carla-maxwell/memorial-for-carla-maxwell-at-the-joyce-theater.

Carla Maxwell (1945-2025) held the torch for the Limón Dance Company for nearly 40 years, serving as Artistic Director from 1978-2015. Maxwell joined the Limón Dance Company in 1965, and soon became a principal dancer under Jose's direction. Carla originated roles in Dances for Isadora, Carlota, and performing a notably iconic 'Emilia' in The Moor's Pavane. In 1975, she was appointed Associate Artistic Director under Ruth Currier before stepping into the role of Artistic Director in December of 1978. Her many accolades and achievements include a Dance Magazine Award (1988) and receiving the National Medal of Arts on behalf of the Foundation (2008).

The memorial will feature recently rediscovered performance footage from her days at Juilliard as well some of her most iconic roles. The evening will be narrated by speakers from Carla's life including:

Artistic Director, Limón Dance Company, Dante Puleio

Associate Artistic Director, Limón Dance Company, Logan Frances Kruger

Immediate family, Omar and Vanessa Guerrero

Lifelong partners from the Limón family:

Dr. Daniel Lewis

Clay Taliaferro, by video

Gary Masters

Roxane D'Orleans Juste

Nina Watt

Former Limón Foundation Board President, Robert A. Meister

And Jacob's Pillow Historian and Founding Director of Preservation, Norton Owen

These speakers represent generations of the Limón family and the evening will thread together their words with archival video and live performance excerpts from some of Carla's favorite Limón works as well as her own choreography. Live performance will include the Limón Dance Company performing excerpts of Limón's There is a Time and Missa Brevis, Carla Maxwell's Sonata and Etude, and Murray Louis' Figura.

"Carla meant the world to me. She believed in me long before I believed in myself, and I wouldn't be where I am today without her. Neither would the Limón Dance Company-or modern dance as we know it," said artistic director Dante Puleio. "She was the first to lead a company beyond the death of its founder, paving the way for era-defining artists like Ailey, Graham, and Taylor. Carla poured her heart and soul into the Limón legacy and gave so much-if not all-of herself to the field, the Company, and everyone who passed through it. As we celebrate the Company's 80th Anniversary, we look back knowing it was Carla Maxwell's passion, grit, and deep love for both the work and the people doing it that made this all possible. I carry her with me every day."

In 2026, the company is inaugurating the Carla Maxwell Legacy Fund, dedicated to the support and artistic development of the dancers who represent the future of the Limón Company and the field of dance. At a pivotal moment in the creation of American modern dance, Carla Maxwell took over as Artistic Director of the Limón Dance Company and blazed the path for legacy companies to continue after the death of their founder - creating a new model that changed the shape of the field.