Dance Affiliates is launching its NextMove series by hosting the Philadelphia premiere of Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s latest works Oct. 14-16 at Prince Theater.
Complexions is the brainchild of Alvin Ailey dancers and life partners Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, who started the company in 1994.
“It was the mentorship of Alvin Ailey Dance Company,” Richardson said about the inspiration behind Complexions. “They encouraged Dwight to create a show and Dwight approached me about doing a collaboration; we both said this is something we should do because we had already been working together in Alvin Ailey. We had no name and we were going to do a show. It wasn’t about moving away from what we had been doing, it was just that Dwight had his own choreographic voice.”
The first performance was staged in 1994 and encompassed the diversity the company has come to be known for.
“Almost four days before the show we found the name ‘Complexions’ because of the diversity of the people in the room and we saw right away that there is something here uniting people through movement, and through this particular movement we do our brand of ballet. My background is street dance and hip-hop. We wanted to do all of those sides: the modern, the classical ballet, the urban dance, all of those things. Why not? Everything is pretty much segregated, and we wanted all of that in the same room because we felt like there was an incredible energy to that and freedom that allows everyone to be inspired. And we found that in 1994 with Complexions.”
Richardson said Complexions quickly found a global audience for its vision that has been loyal and growing for the last 20 years.
“Right away, we were sold out for three nights,” he said. “And we’ve kind of been since we began, and that is all over the world. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know that but we do play to huge crowds around the world and we get the same reaction. The reaction we get in New York or Philadelphia is the same reaction we get in New Zealand or Australia, Japan or Russia. People seem to get it. They understand that there is a broader message that is coming across the footlights and breaking the fourth wall.”
In keeping with Complexions’ vision of diversity and melding of styles, the company’s shows in Philadelphia will alternate between the traditional and the modern, featuring Rhoden’s “And So It Is … ,” a large scale neo-classical work performed to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Contrasting that will be “Strum,” performed with the songs of Metallica. Then the company will veer into the more upbeat and fun “Innervisions,” featuring the pop music of Stevie Wonder.
Richardson said Rhoden’s fascination with a wide range of musical styles inspires his choreography.
“The music is fantastic,” Richardson said. “Dwight loves a lot of different music and movements, and he’s not afraid to go that route. He has the technique to go that route. Many people are made to be afraid of that. He’s not afraid to be commercial because dance is also a portion of entertainment. There’s a sophistication and elegance to the music of Metallica. The range of their music is incredible. It’s not just head-banger. There is a level of artistry that is unparalleled. That is one of the reasons we wanted to use it with the rest of the music that we have for the evening. We wanted that arch and it fit perfectly.”
Dance Affiliates presents Complexions performing Oct. 14-18 at the Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. For more information or tickets, call 215-422-4580 or visit http://princetheater.org/complexions.