People often ask me: why did you create a ballet on climate change? I wanted to communicate what climate change looks like. Art can have an impact on climate change because it affects our perceptions and arouses gut feelings about the issue. The immediacy of the live performance connects us on a visceral and emotional […]
NEWS | CHARACTERISTICS | PREVIEWS | EVENTS By Brent Johnson, JerseyArts.com originally published: 08/14/2019 It started, of course, as a 19th-century whimsical children’s book. In the 1950s, it was made into a Disney cartoon. And 60 years later, Tim Burton has turned it into a piece of modern cinema. Now “Alice in Wonderland” is reimagined […]
Click to enlarge Marc Simpson Photography Dancers and choreographers Madeline Kendall and Alan Obuzor Ultramodern dance choreographed to modern pop takes center stage in fly and fall, the first performance of Texture Contemporary Ballet’s ninth season. New, expanded and reformulated choreography will be performed during the season opener at the New Hazlett Theater July 18-21. […]
Alexandra Tiso (Photo: Mark Simpson Photography) By Steve SucatoPittsburgh Current Dance Writerinfo@pittsburghcurrent.com Home cooking has been a staple of Texture Contemporary Ballet and its menu of dance works has been served to local audiences for the past decade. For its ninth season opener fly and fall, July 18-21 at the New Hazlett Theater, the company […]
To create “Star Dust”, a love letter to david bowie, choreographer Dwight Rhoden immersed himself in the music of the man. He listened at home, in the car, at the gym as he sifted through decades of songs, personalities and styles to select just a fraction of the works for the Complexes Contemporary Ballets production. […]
Dwight Rhoden grew up listening to David Bowie, even imitating him, standing in front of mirrors with a hairbrush in the 1970s. He remained a huge fan throughout his own journey of co-creating Complexions Contemporary Ballet, a touring troupe of stellar, crowd-pleasing dancers now 25 years old. Pretty much coincidentally, says Rhoden, he was building […]
Marc Simpson Photography The unknown dancers Alexandra Tiso and Alan Obuzor Alexander Graham Bell’s adage “When one door closes, another door opens” came true for Alexandra Tiso of Texture Contemporary Ballet. to earn a place in the professional company. When that door closed, Alan Obuzor, one of her instructors at PBT, opened the door to […]
The Joyce Theater catapults its scintillating 2019 season that encompasses an array of contemporary international movements with the celebrated and acclaimed COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet. The company and its creators — founding artistic director/choreographer Dwight Rhoden (responsible for 80 ballets for COMPLEXIONS) and co-artistic director Desmond Richardson (ABT’s first African-American principal dancer who also performed on […]
The Joyce Theater welcomes the world-renowned Complexions Contemporary Ballet to its stage until March 3rd 2019 as the company celebrates its 25th anniversary as a leading multicultural company. Choreographer Dwight Rhoden combines traditional ballet movements with innovative methods, styles and cultures that create an immersive experience for audiences.complexions just uses minimal lighting and costumes for […]
The world premiere of ‘The Jungle Book’ presented by Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater features headpieces designed by Tentacle Studios, whose clients include Lady Gaga, Kesha and the Royal Ballet. Axelrod’s new Contemporary Ballet Theater will kick off its first full season with an innovative take on “East Meets West” of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale about […]
CollectivesDrift The Collectif TL and the Collectif JA mix hip-hop and contemporary dance; as part of the “Danse à l’Odyssée” festival. Odyssey Theater, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA Sunday, 2 p.m. $25. (310) 477-2055. www.OdysseyTheatre.com Forever Flamenco by Kai Narezo The guitarist provides artistic direction for this concert featuring dancers Vanessa Albalos and Briseyda […]
Smuin Contemporary Ballet celebrates its silver anniversary with the annual Smuin Gala, hosted by Co-Chairs Patti and Jerry Hume and Athena and John Konstin along with the Smuin Board of Directors and Friends of Smuin Committee. Honoring 25 years at the forefront of contemporary ballet, San Francisco’s artistic, civic and philanthropic leaders will mingle with […]
Before participating in the Alonzo King LINES Ballet summer program at age 18, Maya Harr did not have much experience in improvisation. In fact, she was so introverted that even the word sounded scary. “The teacher came into the studio, turned off the lights, put on some music and told us to dance,” says Harr, […]
Monmouth County’s first professional ballet company, the Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater [AXCBT]will host a Winter Intensive on January 12 and a Partnership Workshop on February 9 for local dance students who wish to experience focused training in a professional setting under the guidance of the Artistic Director and Choreographer Gabriel Chajnik. When Chajnik first joined […]
Saturday 24 – 25 November After last year’s success, Erie Contemporary Ballet Theater is sweetening the east side by returning to the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center in Mercyhurst for their fourth annual performance of Nutcracker. Although the location and well-known story of the Christmas season’s favorite ballet remains the same, viewers can still expect […]
New York-based Complexions Contemporary Ballet came to Dallas through TITAS, performing a simple two-part program at Moody Performance Hall. But what were these two parts. In their 25and anniversary season, the highly acclaimed company that has performed in Dallas before and will return in May for TITAS’ season finale gala has proven its place as […]
Smuin dancers Valerie Harmon (bottom), Max van der Sterre (middle) and Peter Kurta (top) with company in Ben Needham-Wood’s ‘Echo’. Photo: Keith Sutter / Dance Smuin Smuin Contemporary Ballet opened its silver anniversary season on Friday, September 21, and founder Michael Smuin would surely be proud of what his namesake company has achieved since his […]
It’s that time again like music hall again presents one of America’s most influential and innovative dance companies, Complexions Contemporary Ballet-Sunday June 17 at 4 p.m. on the main stage, which will close the celebration of Detroit Music Weekend. Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company under Founder Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden has become one of the […]
In 2000, there weren’t many avenues for dancers and choreographers in Dallas, but that same year Contemporary Ballet Dallas expanded the pool when it opened its doors. Today, after 18 years, one of Dallas’ oldest ballet companies is changing its brand and mission. Beginning with their season-closing performances on Thursday and Friday, the company will […]
arts and entertainment May 1, 2018 This week in the arts, experience an opera-rock ballet that pays homage to the iconic and chameleon spirit of David Bowie, attend a talk with American artist Sharon Lockhart, see the premiere of six conceptually diverse dance pieces, and more. Harry Partch Festival 7:30 p.m., May 11 to 13 […]
April Fair The third annual festival features flamenco artists from local dance studios. Historic St Isidore Square, 10961 Reagan Street, Los Alamitos. Sun., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. $15. www.feriadesevillalosalamitos.com Life after death for the living Lineage Dance explores love and loss. Lineage Performing Arts Center, 89 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Sun, 7 p.m. […]
There’s something remarkably charming about the mix of the traditional and the contemporary – as if two completely different cultures and eras were merged into one. “Jangala” by the Oakland Ballet Company is an example. The production is the brainchild of Graham Lustig, Artistic Director of the Oakland Ballet Company, who wanted to bring the […]
On the eve of International Women’s Day, renowned Canadian company Ballet BC presents an electric trio of performances led by women Sadler’s Well March 07, 2018 On the eve of International Women’s Day, Sadler’s Wells invited BC Ballet, Canada’s premier contemporary ballet company, to present a captivating triple program – one by Emily Molnar (the […]
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After more than 20 years of nomadic life, the co-founders of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dwight Rhodes and Desmond Richardson put down roots in Atlanta. Rhoden and Richardson founded their multicultural ballet company in 1994, after serving as principal dancers at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. It was in New York, where Complexions was based […]
One night only, on a world tour with a stop at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, is Complexions Contemporary Dance From Bach to Bowie February 15 at Ferguson Hall. Founded in 1994 by co-collaborators and former members of Alvin AleyDwight Rhoden, master choreographer and legendary dancer Desmond RichardsonComplexions transcends tradition to infuse a […]
DTLA – The elevator opens to the 32nd floor of The Bloc office tower complex on Seventh Street, revealing what looks like empty and decaying office space. Cracks and pockmarks run along the rough concrete floor; overhead are exposed pipes and worn insulation, resembling a mutated mess of popcorn. [Get DTLA stories in our daily […]
“Translation”, Ballet Collective, NYU Skirball, October 2017 (photo by Erin Baiano) This week at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, BalletCollective presents a program of short pieces inspired by works of art from outside the world of dance, in particular those of visual artists Carlos Arnaiz (from CAZA Architects), Trevor Paglenand Dafy Hagaiand science […]
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On the second day of rehearsals PDX Contemporary BalletIn the company’s new show, two dancers from the company attempt to perform an almost acrobatic feat. Kaileigh O’Neill does a kind of slow, backward cartwheel that requires pivoting in the air, while Sari Hoke slides into a deep slot under the arc of her flip. At […]
Drip Technicolor Heidi Duckler Dance Theater performs this new site-specific work as part of Culver City’s Centennial “1988” series. Platform, 8850 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Sun., 1 p.m. Free; reservations required. www.heididuckler.org. Fate in Italy Fairies from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ dance to music from Rossini’s ‘William Tell’ in this new mash-up from choreographer Lincoln Jones; […]
Music takes center stage in the seventh season of Texture Contemporary Ballet, resounding soundJuly 20-23 at the New Hazlett Theater. The three-act program features seven works performed by members of Texture Company and guest dancers from Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Quad Cities Ballet, Butler University and Point Park University. Two major premieres will close the program, […]
High above downtown Los Angeles, in a cavernous room with almost as many mirrors as windows, the dancers of the American Contemporary Ballet and seven valiant musicians used short pieces to explore one of the most depths of human culture: the influence of the past on the gift. Almost all companies that dance 19th century […]
Texture Contemporary Ballet closes its home season with Speed, a program of new ballets by members of the company, from March 17-19 at the New Hazlett Theatre. As usual, the production includes premieres from Artistic Director Alan Obuzor and Associate Artistic Director Kelsey Bartman, starting with Bartman’s “When a Fairytale Ends.” Set to music by […]
Entering its 15th season, Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, like many dance companies, has gone through a number of changes in its lifetime – changes in dancers, repertoire and, to some extent, vision. One constant, however, has been the affable, Energizer Bunny presence of founder/artistic director Maria Caruso. The face, heart and soul of Bodiography, Caruso was […]
Dwight Rhoden called on more than a dozen dancers to gather online to review some choreography. He would check a handful of points in his ballet before running through it. Each revealed a stylized outline of the movement and an excerpt from a David Bowie song, nine of which form the score for Stardust, a […]
By Julie ClineDecember 20, 2016 The Lenfest Center for the Arts at Washington and Lee University presents Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Influenced by a wide range of distinct dance styles, rhythms and periods, Complexions Contemporary Ballet reflects the rich diversity present in our world, through its exciting range of mixed cultures and dance forms. Complexions comes […]
By Frankie DiemerUpdated October 30, 2016 4:50 PM CSTPosted Oct 28, 2016 12:44 a.m. CT Launching its 2016-2017 season with the return of “Romeo and Juliet”, the Joffrey Ballet presents the classic tale in a neoclassical ballet in three acts. Shakespeare’s contemporary version is set during the turmoil of the 20th century and is expertly […]
The Festival Ballet Theater will open its 28th season this week with a production that combines dance, multimedia stage projections, an original musical score and a well-known children’s novel from 1911. “The Secret Garden”, choreographed by Josie Walsh, invites the public to see Movement of the 21st century interpreted by dancers who study an art […]
Forget an elaborate scene and get ready to watch up close dancers in action as the American Contemporary Ballet performs a new show on the top floor of a downtown Los Angeles skyscraper with majestic views of the city in the background. The Los Angeles-based company, which is known for performing in unusual intimate venues […]
COLUMBIA — Missouri Contemporary Ballet presents a modern adaptation of the story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” With an original score and choreography, the show gives Columbia a chance to see the classic tale told through dance. The show features new live music written by composer Tom Andes. Rather than a traditional orchestra, the show relies […]
Complexions Contemporary Ballet is known for tackling current social issues through music and movement, and the New York-based company’s next three nights in Los Angeles are no exception, especially a piece inspired by Maya Angelou . The Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center series is set to host Complexions when it returns to […]
How are music and movement linked in contemporary ballet? Music can be composed for dance moves, dance can be created for music, and sometimes they are created independently – coming together on stage. Susan Lewis of WRTI has more. JohnKingMusicinDancerev041116SLLF.mp3 Composer John King chats with WRTI’s Susan Lewis about his new work with choreographer Kevin […]
For his latest production, reflections, Texture Contemporary Ballet adds a bit more texture. The company, whose programs for five seasons have been dominated by the ballets of artistic director Alan Obuzor and associate artistic director Kelsey Bartman, will include works by three other choreographers, including a performance by guest dancer and quadruple amputee Kiera Brinkley. […]
Choreographers are often fueled by the last dance they did, so for the watchful viewer, watching how one bleeds into the next can be an exciting way to follow an artist’s career. Dwight Rhoden, who, along with Desmond Richardson, is founding artistic director of Dyed Contemporary Balletsmothered that notion on Tuesday with his two-part “chronicle,” […]
Dyed Contemporary Ballet, a company founded in 1994 by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, achieved what for many midsize companies remains impossible: it lasted. But for a troupe named for the multicultural makeup of its dancers, it remains sadly bland. Where diversity also counts – in its choreography – is where this company fails. Regardless […]
There’s a building on Biscayne Boulevard near downtown Miami that looks like a giant stained glass window. It is home to the National YoungArts Foundation, and the organization, which helps foster the careers of promising young artists, invites artists to enter the space and create. Complexions Contemporary Ballet is the first dance company in residence […]
The show begins with the sounds of spring, those of the chirping of birds and the gentle trickling of water. Two dancers appear, walking skeptically down a hallway of light toward the only stage setting, a house-like structure lit by videos of nature. The trees are growing at an accelerated rate, sunlight shining through the […]
Ballet isn’t often served with champagne truffles, but Los Angeles-based American Contemporary Ballet invited audiences to enjoy confections, both literal and figurative, during weekend performances of “Waltz- Fantaisie” by George Balanchine and cinematographic choreography by Fred Astaire. Part of the Friday-Sunday “Music + Dance: LA” program at the downtown Farmers & Merchants Bank building, “Valse-Fantaisie” […]
Melancholy. Fiery. Sensual. Piano Trio in A minor by Tchaikovsky, Op. 50, a monumental work composed in 1882, covers the whole emotional range. Add a balletic element, and it flies away. He is the rare choreographer capable of materializing this haunting and haunting work. Lincoln Jones, artistic director of the American Contemporary Ballet, rose to […]
This meant the company was still doing the classics, from baroque dances to Gisele at Balanchine, but Lefèvre has also opened the doors of the Paris Opera to contemporary choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown and William Forsythe; and more recently to Wayne McGregor, Emanuel Gat and Anne-Teresa de Keersmaeker – few of them, […]
Dyed Contemporary BalletThe Joyce Theatre, New York November 17 to 29, 2009 Reviewed by Christopher Atamian by Rhoden Pity. Photo by Lee Talner, courtesy of Complexions. Dwight Rhoden certainly knows how to cheer up a crowd. His entertaining, fast-paced compositions possess remarkable kinetic energy, like pumped-up Broadway numbers danced at lightning speed. If that’s all […]