Princeton's American Repertory Ballet trains with famed choreographer and dancer for an international festival in New York City. Watch video
PRINCETON - A thin old woman dressed head to toe in black pranced on the wood floors at Princeton's American Repertory Ballet rehearsal space, a tiny turquoise coffee cup in hand.
"One, two, three," the woman, Sarah Stackhouse, said to the dancers.
Stackhouse, from the Limon Foundation, came to Princeton's American Repertory Ballet from Sept. 3 through Friday to prepare the company for the Jose Limon International Dance Festival being held at the Joyce Theater in New York City.
"Sarah is a jewel," said Douglas Martin, artistic director for Princeton's American Repertory Ballet.
"The greatest thing about dance is also the hardest thing about dance," Martin said. "It needs to be passed down person to person and Sarah is one person removed from Limon."
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Stackhouse learned "Grand Master" Jose Limon's "There is a Time," the dance the ballet company will be performing at the festival, from Limon himself, Martin said.
The famed choreographer and dancer, Limon, died in December 1972 and is considered a pioneer of modern dance.
Lead dancer Mattia Pallozzi said Stackhouse brings a different style than what he is used to at Princeton's American Repertory Ballet.
"It has been great and intense," Pallozzi said. "We're ecstatic to perform at the Joyce. It's going to be awesome."
Princeton's American Repertory Ballet joins select dance companies from seven countries at the festival, which runs Oct. 13-25.
"Many companies are dancing," Martin said. "So to get to see them and for our company to be seen as well is such a great opportunity."Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.