Dance in Film · 1950
The Moor's Pavane (1950)
José Limón and three dancers turn Othello into a sixteen-minute modern-dance quartet, using the measured order of a court dance to contain—and then expose—jealousy, betrayal, and violence.
The Moor's Pavane is a 1950 dance film centred on Historic Renaissance Court. For dancers, it's a chance to see the style performed on screen — the phrasing, partnering, and musicality that the same dances carry onto a real floor.
Jump to the 1 indexed dance sequence ↓
Dance styles featured
Where to watch: Indiana University Libraries' Media Collections Online record provides institutional streaming access; sign-in may be required. NYPL also catalogs a streaming copy. No unrestricted public stream was verified as of 2026-08-05.
The dance sequences in The Moor's Pavane
1 sequence — what is danced, by whom, and where to find it.
Court-dance suite based on Othello
PavaneDanced by José Limón; Lucas Hoving; Betty Jones; Ruth Currier · Choreography José Limón
Four brightly costumed figures isolated against an unlit background as ceremony tightens into tragedy.
Limón compresses four Shakespearean roles into a ceremonial court-dance frame, so repeated formal patterns hold jealousy and violence under restraint. The poised pavane structure makes each rupture in the quartet register as dramatic action rather than decorative movement.
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