Complexions

"Choreography like molten hot lava; flowing with undeniable power."

The New York Times

My sister and I are obsessed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She just turned me on to Complexions, a modern-ballet company founded by two former Alvin Ailey dancers. Check out the YouTube video for a glimpse of their amazing work. Then you'll want to check out their schedule to see if they're coming to your city. (Complexions will be in Seattle November 12-14 at Meany Hall! Can't wait.)


ABOUT COMPLEXIONS (from the website)

It is artistic directors Demsond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden’s lifelong appreciation for the artistic & aesthetic appeal of the multicultural that forms the cornerstone of Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s singular approach to reinventing dance. Founded by the two former Alvin Ailey members in 1994, Complexions’ groundbreaking mix of methods, styles, cultures has created an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement over the past decade-and-a-half.

The company’s foremost innovation is that dance should be about removing boundaries, not reinforcing them. Whether it be the limiting traditions of a single style, period, venue, or culture, Complexions transcends them all, creating an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world—and all its constituent cultures—as an interrelated whole.

It is Rhoden and Richardson’s unique career paths that have paved the way for them to re-define dance—as their multifaceted resumes will show, neither has ever been comfortable with his art being placed in a box. Instead, from E! to PBS to VH1, from Cirque de Soleil to the Joffrey Ballet, the two have allowed the transformative power of their art to flow freely throughout the entertainment world—their creative vision restricted by nothing but the limits of the human body itself.

Together, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson have created in Complexions an institution that embodies its historical moment, a sanctuary where those passionate about dance can celebrate its past while simultaneously building its future. In the 15 years since its inception, the company has born witness to a world that is becoming more fluid, more changeable, and more culturally interconnected than ever before—in other words, a world that is becoming more and more like Complexions itself.