U.S. #4698-4701
2012 45¢ Innovative Choreographers
Issue Date: July 28, 2012
City: Los Angeles, CA
Quantity: 25,000,000
Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products
Printing Method: Offset
Perforations: Die Cut 11
Color: multicolored

This set of four stamps was issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2012 to honor influential choreographers who forever changed the art of dance in this country and around the world, dedicated on National Dance Day at a ceremony in Los Angeles. Each stamp was designed to resemble a poster advertising a live performance, with artwork by James McMullan capturing the distinctive luminosity and mystery of dance on stage. The four honorees, Isadora Duncan, José Limón, Katherine Dunham, and Bob Fosse, each brought a distinct and groundbreaking approach to movement that reshaped how audiences understood dance as an art form over the course of the twentieth century.

At the start of the twentieth century, dancers largely performed classical ballet with its well defined positions and movements. Isadora Duncan broke from that tradition by introducing natural, flowing movements along with loose fitting tunics and bare feet, drawing her inspiration from classic Greek artwork. Her stamp captures the seemingly effortless style she developed, and her linking of movement with raw emotional expressiveness earned her critical acclaim across the world during her lifetime.

José Limón looked to classic literature and religion for his thematic material, and his powerful, athletic choreography helped elevate the role of male dancers within the field. Born in Mexico, Limón moved to the United States as a child and later studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, dancing with their company through the 1930s before founding his own company in 1947. Many of his works are still regarded as classics of modern dance and continue to be performed today.

Katherine Dunham became one of the first African American women to earn a doctoral degree in anthropology, and she used that background to become a pioneer in folk and ethnic choreography, helping found the anthropological dance movement. As a choreographer and anthropologist, Dunham researched Caribbean religious rituals and developed a style of performance that celebrated the African roots of Black Americans, founding one of the first African American dance companies in the country in the process.

Bob Fosse became one of the most recognizable choreographers in American theater and film, developing a sharp, angular movement style closely associated with Broadway and Hollywood musicals. Once known for saying that dance is what happens when emotions grow too strong to only sing about, Fosse's work captured that intensity through his instantly recognizable choreography. Because photographs of Fosse actually performing were less plentiful than images of the other three honorees, his stamp instead shows a figure posed in a style reminiscent of his signature movement.