COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet<br/>
Headed by co-artistic directors<br/>
Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson<br/><br/>

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center<br/>
Friday, April 11 at 7:30 pm<br/>
Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 pm<br/>
Sunday, April 13 at 2:00 pm<br/><br/>

"Dear Frederic" to music of Chopin (4/11, 4/12, 4/13)<br/>
"Chapters Suite" to music by Marvin Gaye (4/11)<br/>
"Pretty Gritty Suite" to music of Nina Simone (4/12, 4/13)<br/>
and other works<br/><br/>

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet, headed by co-artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, continues Dance at the Music Center's 2007-2008 season for three performances - Friday, April 11 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, April 13 at 2:00 pm. The company last performed at the Music Center in 2001.<br/><br/>

All three programs will begin with "Dear Frederick" (2007) choreographed by Rhoden to the music of Frederic Chopin. The Friday, April 11 program continues with "Gone" (2000) to music of Vera Hall and performed by Odetta, "Gravity" (2007) to music of John Mayer, "Loose Change" choreographed by Taye Diggs to music of David Ryan Harris, "Moody Booty Blues" (2006) to music of Roy Buchanan, and "Lux" (2007) to music of Eric Whitacre performed by the Turtle Creek Chorale.<br/><br/>

The April 11 program ends with "Chapters Suite" (2007) a portion of "Chapters," a new dance-theatre evening long work to the music of Marvin Gaye, with songs including "What's Going On" and "Mercy, Mercy, Me" which will receive its premiere in 2008-2009. "Chapters" centers around a group of ambitious friends living in New York, and the day-to-day challenges of their lives in the Big City. Jennifer Dunning in the New York Times said that Rhoden "has a promising thing going in 'Chapters,' which celebrates the music of Marvin Gaye an all out dance fling to watch these stretched, beautiful young bodies and sassy presences at easy play in the music is a great pleasure."<br/><br/>

The April 11 program includes "Loose Change" a solo created for Desmond Richardson by actor Taye Diggs with original music by David Ryan Harris. Described by the New York Times as "a charmer," the solo dance is an emotional journey that travels from quiet and reflective to longing and energetic.<br/><br/>

Diggs began his dance training in his native Rochester with Garth Fagan and Timothy Draper, and his relationship with Rhoden/Richardson goes back a dozen years, when he was a frequent student in their class at STEPS. The actor/singer/dancer is currently co-artistic director, with Andrew Palermo, of dre.dance, which is in residence at Tribeca P.A. Center.<br/><br/>

The Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 programs feature "Dear Frederick" and "Moody Booty Blues," and "Lament" (2000) to music of Caroline Worthington and Charles Veal, Jr., and "Bound" (2007) to music of Vivaldi and Handel.<br/><br/>

These programs end with "Pretty Gritty Suite" (2004), a tribute to the range and power of the music of Nina Simone - including recordings of "I Put a Spell on You," "Mood Indigo," "Gimme Some," and "I'm Gonna Leave You." John Rockwell in The New York Times wrote all that energy paid off, buoyed by a sequence of fabulous Simone recordings.It surely sent the gala audience off to its dinner in a happy frame of mind." Lauren Morelli in the Village Voice wrote, "'Pretty Gritty Suite' was the other joy of the night - Rhoden has found his 'Revelations.' Nina Simone pumped through the speakers; the dancers brandished tambourines and settled into powerful symmetrical formations. What fun to watch artists who love their craft so unapologetically!"<br/><br/>

About Complexions<br/><br/>

Hailed as "two of the most gorgeous virtuosos ever to emerge from Ailey Land," (Tobi Tobias, New York Magazine), Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson had a vision for sharing their common appreciation for diversity and multiculturalism through dance. Their concept: bring many artists from various disciplines into one room and let their interaction be a springboard for innovative and envelope-pushing creativity. Group and individual artistic and spiritual growth was the catalyst for this creative process. This wunderkind, this blossoming of an idea was born in 1994 and was appropriately called Complexions.
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The year should not have been auspicious; it was not a good time for arts organizations, yet their New York premiere at Symphony Space produced three sold-out shows and lines around the block. The company was critically acclaimed for its brilliance and high level of artistry. Complexions is filled with a microcosm of today's hottest dance talents (Attitudes Magazine).<br/><br/>

"We pushed the envelope from the very beginning, giving artists who never would have had a chance to dance together an opportunity to do so," says co-Artistic Director, Desmond Richardson. "Pointe shoes, flats, high heels - from 'pointe' to 'pop,' our goal is to explore each dancer's individuality and to come up with something completely new and extraordinary."<br/><br/>

Rhoden adds, "as a diverse company, we reflect the fabric of America - a melting pot of differences, a huge bouquet of distinctly separate parts that together amount to an amazing, awe-inspiring whole.We are experimental - we have dancers of all ages, we do pointe work that is informed by the emotional sensibility of modern dance, we work with theatrical concepts, we use texts, we do site-specific works.Our company also carries a strong social and cultural message - if you use dance to bring people together, and the audience sees all these different colors, qualities and textures together on one stage, it sends a very important message of unity, which is, ultimately, what our company is all about."<br/><br/>

In addition to their roster of gifted artists, Complexions has always sought to distinguish itself by grounding their cutting-edge choreography and original music within the roots of classical dance.<br/><br/>

From point to pop the company has harnessed various multi-media to mirror their times and to comment on the past. Inspired by social and political issues, and yet deeply personal, their works have always sought to ponder the human condition and to explore the full-range of human emotions.<br/><br/>

As early as 1995, Complexions received the coveted New York Times Critics Choice Award and began touring. The company has subsequently been invited to perform at major European dance festivals including Italy's Parma Dance and Spoleto festivals, the Isle De Dance Festival in Paris, the Holland Dance Festival, the Steps International Dance Festival in Switzerland, the Grand Pas Moscow Ballet Festival, and Korea's Catch Prime Dance 1st Festival.<br/><br/>

Complexions has also performed on the stages of New York's Joyce Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Lincoln Center, The Mahalia Jackson Performing Arts Center in New Orleans, the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Detroit's Music Hall, and the Los Angeles Music Center. Over the years Complexions has toured extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia. The upcoming season will include first time performances in Israel, Wales, Poland, on the stage of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and in Boston's Celebrity Series. Each new city gives them an opportunity to extend their message: Complexions is more than dance... it is language itself.<br/><br/>

DWIGHT RHODEN (Dayton, Ohio) Hailed by the New York Times as "One of the most sought out choreographers of the day", Rhoden began dancing at the age of 17 while studying acting. He has performed with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal and was a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has appeared in numerous television specials, documentaries and commercials throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and has been a featured performer on many PBS Great Performances specials. Under Rhoden's direction Complexions has brought it's unique blend of contemporary dance to audiences throughout the world including the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and Asia.
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Rhoden has created over 60 ballets for Complexions, as well as numerous other companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Arizona Ballet, The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company, Ballet Gamonet, The Dance Theater of Harlem, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet/Diamond Project, North Carolina Dance Theater, The Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco, Minneapolis Dance Theater, Phoenix Dance Company, Sacramento Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Washington Ballet, and Zenon Dance Company. He has worked with, coached, and created for some of the most diverse artists spanning the world of ballet and contemporary dance. "Rhoden's work is post-Balanchinean choreography, a new aesthetic in movement, stage, picture, and performance concepts reflecting a post-modern, techno-savvy worldview." (Dance Magazine)
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Rhoden has lectured and served as "Artist in Residence" at universities around the country. He has directed and choreographed for film, theater, and live performances including E! Entertainment's Tribute to Style and Cirque Du Soleil, and also worked for high profile artists including Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson, and Patrick Swayze. Rhoden is a 1998 New York Foundation for the Arts Award Recipient and a 2001 Choo San Goh Award for Choreography Recipient. In May of 2006 he received the Alvin Ailey School's Apex award to celebrate his contribution to the field of dance.
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DESMOND RICHARDSON (Queens, NY) Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the great modern dancers of his time", Desmond Richardson is a multi-talented artist who has mastered a wide range of dance forms including classical, modern, and contemporary. Richardson's immense talent was first recognized as a student at New York High School for the Performing Arts during which time he received a merit scholarship from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (1983-1986) and the International Academie des Tanz in Koln, Germany (1984-1985). He is also a recipient of a Presidential Scholar Award for the Arts (1986).
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In 1987, Richardson joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where he was a principal dancer for seven years. After leaving the Ailey Company, he traveled to Germany where he performed with Ballet Frankfurt. Richardson has performed as a guest artist with several world-renowned companies including the Swedish Opera Ballet, the Washington Ballet, Teatro at La Scala, and the San Francisco Ballet. In 1997, he joined the American Ballet Theater where he performed the lead role in the company's world premiere production of "Othello." In its description of Richardson's performance in that role, the New York Times described him as "one of the most majestic dancers ever to tread the MET Stage."
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In 1998, Richardson joined the premiere cast of the Broadway Musical "Fosse" for which he received a 1999 Tony Award Nomination. He has also appeared on Broadway in the musical, "The Look of Love" and in the critically acclaimed "Movin' Out."Â He had a principal role in Debbie Allen's dance/theatrical presentation, "Soul Possessed," which premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1999.
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Richardson has worked in television, film, and video in the United States and abroad. These experiences have allowed him to perform with such musical artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, Aretha Franklin, and Madonna. He is featured in Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi's film, "One Last Dance" and the Oscar winning "Chicago." He made his singing debut in Charles Randolph Wright's 2005 film, "On the One" and appeared in Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe."
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His recent honors include the Alvin Ailey School's 2006 Apex award and the 2007 Dance Magazine Award. Richardson performed in February 2008 in Diana Vishneva's, "Beauty in Motion," at New York City Center. Richardson has recently released three new titles in "Live at Broadway Dance Center" instructional DVD series, continuing Complexions' long-standing mission to make its technique more accessible to young dancers.
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Calendar Listing
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COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet
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Friday, April 11 at 7:30 pm<br/><br/>

Dear Frederick (2007)<br/>
Gone (2000); Gravity (2007); Loose Change (2007) choreographed by Taye Diggs<br/>
Moody Booty Blues (2006); Lux (2007)<br/>
Chapters Suite (excerpt) (2007)<br/><br/>

Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 pm<br/>
Sunday, April 13 at 2 pm<br/>
Dear Frederick (2007)<br/>
Lament (2000); "Moody Booty Blues" (2006); "Bound" (2007)<br/>
Pretty Gritty Suite (2004)<br/>
Venue)Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center<br/>
135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles<br/><br/>

Performance Schedule<br/><br/>

Friday, April 11 at 7:30pm<br/>
Saturday, April 12 at 7:30pm<br/>
Sunday, April 13 at 2:00pm<br/>
Tickets) $25 - $95<br/>
In Person) Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office, 135 N Grand Ave. and all Ticketmaster Outlets including Wherehouse Music, Tu Musica and Ritmo Latino Web)www.ticketmaster.com<br/>
Phone)Ticketmaster Phone Charge (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878<br/>
Groups) 15 or more, call Connie Nelson at (310) 831-1022<br/>
Information Music Center Dance information line (213) 972-0711<br/>
www.musiccenter.org/dance.html
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