-
-
Ad Space
(728 x 90)
Published at 5:52am
Sign up today!
Back in ’94, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson were ready to move to the next stage of their careers. “We were eager to grow as artists,” Rhoden says. The two decided to mount a concert at Symphony Space in NYC, building on the lessons they’d learned from their mentor.
“Alvin’s vision came out of the African-American experience, but with his big heart, he embraced diversity,” Rhoden says. “He was about living life to the fullest, expressing yourself with spirit and passion for living, fearlessly.”
With this in mind, in preparation for their Symphony Space gig, Richardson and Rhoden gathered dancers who were from a wide variety of backgrounds. Having been in the New York dance community for years, they both knew bunheads, poppers and lockers, modern dancers and musical-theater gypsies.
Rhoden was excited to get into choreography, and he orchestrated new works for the divergent troupe. “The energy at that show was ridiculous,” he says. “We knew then we had something that was really special.” Twelve years later, Complexions Contemporary Dance tours nationally and internationally to great acclaim.
“The current company is all classically trained,” says Rhoden, meaning that the dancers all have a solid grounding in ballet technique. But they still show off a wide variety of chops. “The range is wide, from pointe shoes to bare feet to heels,” he adds.
Rhoden creates much of the athletic, extreme choreography for the group. “The dancers use their whole bodies, the whole space. They have to move from the floor to the air.” From piece to piece he takes a different approach, but his mark is unmistakable. How does Rhoden describe his signature style? “Contrast,” he says.
Complexions Contemporary Dance appears at the Auditorium Theatre Saturday 10 and Sunday 11.
Comment