Career and awards
Lemon began his educational career inGeography Trilogy
Over a ten-year span, Lemon created a trilogy that uses choreography to present social and political issues in numerous collaborative projects. Lemon recently finished the ten year art project, ''Geography Trilogy'', which investigated an apparent collision of cultures and searched for personal and artistic identity within a broader spectrum.‘’Artist-in-Residence Ralph Lemon,’’ Biography, Walker Art Center, (accessed March 25, 2008). During Ralph Lemon's ten year trilogy creation, he wrote two books entitled ''Geography: Art, Race, Exile'' to correlate to the dance ''Geography'' and ''Tree: Belief, Culture, Balance'' which relates to the dance ''Tree''. The third part of the trilogy, ''Come Home Charley Patton'', is now a book. He ended up creating these two books as a result of physicality, emotional conflicts, spiritual connections and specifically cultural contradictions that lead to the numerous collaborations and experiences he gained.‘’Cross Performance/Ralph Lemon,’’ Biography, Multiarts Projects and Productions, http://www.multiartsprojects.com/artist_index.php?artistid=2§ionid=86 (accessed March 25, 2008). The overall synopsis of the ''Geography Trilogy'' is to create a link and understanding to other cultures histories while evolving and experimenting with his artistic works in three different continents. For example, ''Geography'' formulated in Africa, ''Tree'' originated in Asia, and ''Come Home Charley Patton'' brought Lemon back to the United States. Ralph Lemon's creative journey began with ''Geography'' in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea. The journals he wrote gave insight into the life of an "American, African, brown, black, blue black, male, and artist." Embodying these characteristics, Lemon sought not only to create art about his culture but to connect with his heritage during the duration of his visit. Lemon then ventured to Asia for his next piece in the trilogy ''Tree''. ''Tree'' is ritually structured through Buddhism, and reveals a conflict of cultural values pertaining to performance, race, identity, modernity and tradition. Lemon finished the trilogy in the US with ''Come Home Charley Patton'', a piece that revisits a segregated time in history. The performance of ''Come Home Charley Patton'' shows how "different generations remember the same critical events and places; what kind of narratives do justice to traumatic memories; and what form memories can ultimately take through the aesthetic works of this project."Artistic style
Much of Lemon's success is attributed to his unique ability to express dramatic and emotional content through movement using new art forms. Ralph Lemon is currently the artistic director of Cross Performance Inc. in New York. Lemon strives to invent and be innovative with each performance he creates by conveying different concepts and using different media.‘’USA FELLOWS 2006,’’ Biography, United States Artist, (accessed March 25, 2008). The core of Ralph Lemon's style in his earlier works was atmospherically showcased with strong costumes and props to visually help the audience understand the narrative. By the early 1990s he strayed away from a theatrical style to a more movement oriented style by focusing on the body. Ralph Lemon uses both his art and anthropology backgrounds to influence his choreography, but he refrains from distorting the cultural importance of dance within traditions.Performances
Works
1984- *''Ant's Burden'' (mus. Bob Roman), solo *''Romance'' (mus. Tom Waites) *''Folktales and Romance 4'', evening-length performance produced by Dance Theatre Workshop, New York *''Boundary Water'' (mus. Beethoven), New Dance Ensemble of Minnesota *''Folktales with Men and Oranges'', for Dance on the Lower East Side Festival, New York *''The Last Nights of Paris and Georgette'', Dance Theatre Workshop 1985- *''Plan de Liebe'', CoDanceCo *''Forest'', (mus. Linda Bouchard), duet, American Dance Festival *''And the Jungle Will Obliterate the Shrine/Seasons'', RLC *''Scarecrow'', (mus. Hart) 1986- *''Flock'', (mus. Sibelius), Jacob's Pillow Dance Ensemble *''En Su Llama Mortal'', Ballet Hispancio of New York *''Two'' w/Bebe Miller (mus. Hyams Hart) 1987- *''Nightingales and Fisherman'' (mus. Bach) *''Les Noces'' (mus. Ravel, Debussy), RLC *''Waiting for Carnival'', New Dance Ensemble 1988- *''Happy Trails'' (mus. country and western collage), RLC *''Cherubino and the Nightingale'' (mus. Mozart), RLC *''Folkdance Duet'' (mus. traditional Norwegian folk), RLC *''Folkdance'', Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble *''Punchinello'', Boston Ballet 1989- *''Joy'' (mus. Cale), RLC *''Sleep'' (mus. Fauré), RLC 1990- *''Joy'' (Solo), (mus. Satie), RLC *''Bogus Pomp'', Lyons Opera Ballet *''Civilian'', solo 1991- *''Persephone'' (mus. Davis), RLC *''Folkdance'' Sextet (mus. Beethoven), RLC *''Folkdance'' Solo (mus. taped conversation), RLC *''Don Juan'', Graz Opera Ballet 1992- *''Their Eyes Rolled Back in Ecstasy'' (mus. Hyams Hart, Barret, chants), RLC *''Their Eyes Rolled Back in Ecstasy'' (Solo) (mus. Hyams Hart), RLC *''Phrases Almost Biblical'', RLC *''My Tears Have Been My Meat Night and Day'', Lyons Opera Ballet *''Folkdance'' (with Songs), Batsheva Dance Company 1993- *''Folkdance Sextet'', The Metropolitan Ballet of Michigan 1996- *''Konbit'', a video documentary collage *''Persephone'', collaboration between Philip Trager, Rita Dove, Eavan Boland, and Andrew Szegedy-Maszak 1997- *''Geography'', Part 1 in Geography Trilogy 1999- *''Three'', a film created by Bebe Miller, and Isaac Julien 2000- *''Tree'', Part 2 in Geography Trilogy *''Temples'', a mixed media installation of works related to Tree 2001- *''Mirrors and Smoke'', new media collaboration with Philip Mallory *''The Geography Trilogy'', visual art installation 2004- *''Come Home Charley Patton'', Part 3 in Geography Trilogy 2007- *''The Geography Trilogy'' DVD Archive Collection *''(The efflorescence of) Walter'', Mixed media installation at The Kitchen, NYC May–June *''(The efflorescence of) Walter'' as part of Open-Ended (the art of engagement) exhibition at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota March–June 2009- *''Rescuing the Princess'', Lyons Opera Ballet 2010- *''How Can you Stay in the House all Day and Not Go Anywhere''Publications
*''Persephone'' With Eavan Boland, Rita Dove, and Phillip Trager, Middletown, Connecticut, 1996. *''Geography: Art, Race, Exile''. By Ralph Lemon. Hanover, NH:References
External links