Sarah Stackhouse, Former Company Member Of Limón Dance Company, Has Passed Away

Photo by Betti Franceschi

Sarah Stackhouse, a six-decade-long member of the Limón Dance Company family, has passed away. Sarah was a world-renowned dancer, artist, teacher, and dear friend. She passed at home in the early morning on Sunday, January 7, 2024, slipping away gracefully in her home with her husband Nano Seeber and son Roel Q Seeber present. 

Sarah danced with the Limón Dance Company from 1958 to 1969 as a principal dancer and partner to Limón. She was also a member of the American Dance Theatre at Lincoln Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Louis Falco and Featured Dancers, 'The Workgroup' directed by Daniel Nagrin, and Annabelle Gamson Dance Solos, Inc. She gave teaching residencies, staged, and directed many of Limón's major works for classical and modern companies in Europe, the United States, South and Central America, China, and India and served as an American Cultural Specialist for the Cultural Programs Division of the U.S. Department of State, lecturing and teaching in Rome, Perugia, and Florence, Italy. She taught at the Juilliard School, the American Dance Festival, and the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College - SUNY, N.Y. Her essays have appeared in the books, East Meets West in Dance: Voices in the Cross-Cultural Dialogue; José Limón: The Artist Reviewed; and José Limón and La Malinche. Her paper The Moor's Pavane: Notes on the Characters, Casting, and Scenes is included in the Labanotation score of this Limón work. Her dedication to the field will continue to inspire generations to come.

Her colleague and friend Diana Byer said of Sarah, "her unassuming and wholly honest personality was reflected in her performances. Sarah always saw the good in everything and everybody."

"Sarah was an instrumental force in building a decades worth of repertory with José Limón. She was part of establishing the pedagogy in the teaching of his technique and the restaging of his works. She was an energetic and vibrant energy, she never gave up on helping you find your potential and inspired generations of dance artists. We are only beginning to feel the weight of her loss," said Dante Puleio, Artistic Director, Limón Dance Company. "The Limón Dance Company dedicates our work in her memory, performing with her words and spirit guiding us through the upcoming season."

Sarah Stackhouse was born in the Midwest and lived her early years in Michigan until her family moved to a suburb of New York City. She began her study of modern dance in a small dance school, which in retrospect she recounted, seemed to her like a cross between the aesthetics of Isadora Duncan and Mary Wigman. Having won a scholarship Stackhouse was fortunate to be able to attend the American Dance Festival (ADF) at Connecticut College, the six week summer teaching residence of Martha Graham and José Limón. She continued her education at the University of Wisconsin. The teachers and artists that influenced her the most are José Limón, Merce Cunningham and Antony Tudor.

Sarah Stackhouse danced with the José Limón Company from 1958 to 1969 as a principal dancer and partner to Limón and served as Limón's assistant at the Juilliard School. She was also a member of the American Dance Theatre at Lincoln Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Louis Falco and Featured Dancers, 'The Workgroup' directed by Daniel Nagrin, and Annabelle Gamson Dance Solos, Inc. She gave teaching residencies, staged, and directed many of Limón's major works for classical and modern companies in Europe, the United States, South and Central America, China, and India and served as an American Cultural Specialist for the Cultural Programs Division of the U.S. Department of State, lecturing and teaching in Rome, Perugia, and Florence, Italy.

She taught at the Juilliard School, the American Dance Festival, and the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College - SUNY, N.Y. Her essays have appeared in the books, East Meets West in Dance: Voices in the Cross-Cultural Dialogue; José Limón: The Artist Reviewed; and José Limón and La Malinche. Her paper The Moor's Pavane: Notes on the Characters, Casting, and Scenes is included in the Labanotation score of this Limón work.

Dance critic Jennifer Dunning said of Stackhouse: "Her gifts have been forged in the fire of dance history."

Sarah spoke of her work as a reconstructor of Limón's repertory: "It's important to acknowledge the artist and what we see that he did, and it's important to bring ourselves to it as well," Stackhouse said. "I dislike imitation. It has little value. It has a value as a learning tool, but we have to allow ourselves to find our own voice as artists, teachers or thinking people in order to grow up."

About the Company

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.