Complexions Contemporary Ballet is a

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe that performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-rou ...

founded in 1994 by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. The company, based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, is a multicultural mix of classical and contemporary dancers.

History

Complexions Contemporary Ballet's unique style draws on inspiration from the visual arts, theatre, street-dance and pop culture. Dwight Rhoden has created over 90 ballets for Complexions. Both Rhoden and Desmond Richardson were dancers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Complexions has appeared at major European dance festivals including Italy's Festival of Dance for four consecutive years, the Isle De Dance Festival in Paris, the Maison De La Dance Festival in Lyon, the Holland Dance Festival, Steps International Dance Festival in Switzerland, Łódź Biennale, Warsaw Ballet Festival, Kraków Spring Ballet Festival, the Dance Festival of Canary Islands/Spain, and Le Festival des Arts de St-Sauveur/Canada, and in Korea, Spain, and Australia.

Programs

"From Bach to Bowie" is a two-part dance program set to the music of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

. According to Rhoden, "this program is very much in line with Complexions, as it is a celebration of differences in many ways. The cast, the material and the choreography that we do is celebrating the beauty of things that are very different and putting them together... It’s all about the contrast. Bach is eternally danceable. It has a spirit. Dancers really respond to it. There’s such a dynamic, with so many different tones. I thought it was a nice partnership between that and Bowie.”Bach meets Bowie with Complexions Dance Co.

Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Je ...

Awards and recognition

Complexions has received numerous awards including the New York Times “Critics Choice” Award. It has appeared throughout the US, including the

Joyce Theater The Joyce Theatre Foundation is a leading presenter of dance in New York City and nationally. It is runs, in part, from the Joyce Theater, a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in ...

/NY,

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

/NY, the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

's/NY, the Mahalia Jackson Performance Arts Center in New Orleans, the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, the Music Center in Los Angeles, and the Winspear Opera House/Dallas.

Reviews

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References

External links

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Selby/Artists MGMT – Artist Representation
* {{authority control Ballet companies in the United States Dance companies in New York City Contemporary dance companies 1994 establishments in New York City Performing groups established in 1994 Contemporary theatre Contemporary music