Complexions Contemporary takes stage with New Orleans Ballet Assoc.

18th April 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Michael Patrick Welch
Contributing Writer

The New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) presents the return of Complexions Contemporary Ballet with a diverse menu of dance styles on Saturday, April 22 at 8 pm at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.

Led by choreographer Dwight Rhoden and dancer Desmond Richardson (of American Dance Theater and “So You Think You Can Dance” fame), Complexions’ fourteen dancers execute a mission statement of “Embracing diversity with artists of different ethnic and dance backgrounds, [performing] repertory classics and new works.” The Complexions company describes itself as possessing “a frenetic athleticism that spans ballet and contemporary dance” that combines technical precision, power and passion.

With an innovative mix of styles ranging from ballet to hip hop, Complexions has a large following worldwide. The company has presented on five continents, to more than 20 countries, to more 20 million television viewers and to well over 300,000 people in live audiences.

“We have performed in New Orleans several times working with NOBA,” recalls Christina Johnson, Complexions’ rehearsal director. “We are always thinking of creative ways to collaborate with NOBA.”

Complexions’ new springtime all-Rhoden “menu” of different dance pieces will begin with Ballad Unto which will be set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The second act features four intimate and classic Complexions works: The trio piece Gone (2000), with music by vocalist Odetta, followed by two duets including Testament (2010), set to the gospel hymn Amazing Grace, plus Rhoden’s stirring signature masterpiece Ave Maria (1995). Co-Founding Artistic Director Desmond Richardson will then perform Imprint/Maya, a solo inspired by the poetry of Maya Angelou with music by David Rosenblatt.

The evening’s rock concert-style finale is Star Dust, featuring nine anthems by the late, great rock n roll artist David Bowie.

“We premiered it last year in Detroit – Bowie has only been done in Detroit, New York and then at Kennedy Center,” says Johnson. “Bowie has quite a legacy and volume of songs. Dwight has wanted to do a Bowie tribute even before his passing. The most difficult choice for him was whittling it down to just nine songs. What he wants to eventually do is have a full evening of Bowie work, featuring lesser known songs.” For now, Star Dust included Bowie classics such as Changes, Life on Mars, Space Oddity, Modern Love, Young Americans, Heroes and Star Dust.

“The Bowie piece doesn’t use a lot of scenery, it’s very sculptured,” says Johnson. “All of our scenery comes from our lighting design. So our staging is really quite a spectacle.”

Dwight Rhoden, Complexions’ founding Artistic Director is known as one of the most sought after choreographers of the day. Along with his two decades of work with the Complexions repertory, Rhoden has also directed and choreographed for television, film, theater and live performances, including work with and/or created works for artists including Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson, Nicholas Payton, Paul Simon, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, The Drifters, U2 and Patrick Swayze.

“Dwight really pulls from different genres of music, but also different genres of movement,” says his “right hand woman” Johnson. “He incorporates all different styles from contemporary to hip-hop to classical.”

Co-Founding Artistic Director Desmond Richardson was the first Black American principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre, plus a Tony Award nominee in the original Broadway cast of Fosse, a standout in the Tony-winning production “After Midnight.” He has appeared in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out and had his singing debut in Burt Bacharach/Hal David’s The Look Of Love. He has worked with Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Elton John and Aretha Franklin.

This Complexions performance also features the return of New Orleans native and company dancer and former NOCCA student, Andrew Brader.

All of this comes to New Orleans thanks to NOBA, the Central Gulf region’s premiere dance organization, which each year provides concerts, classes, workshops and lectures to more than 30,000 area dance enthusiasts of all ages. NOBA’s education programs provide participants ages six months to 80 years old with quality arts programs with over 5,500 tuition-free dance classes and workshops annually at 11 sites throughout the Greater New Orleans area.

“I’ve taught at NOBA about two or three times,” touts Johnson. “And this summer we have two of our Complexions dancers who will be doing the NOBA intensive, working with students on a piece they’ll perform at the end of the summer. It’s amazing what NOBA executive director Jenny Hamilton and her crew have been able to do and the opportunities they’ve been able to give. For their 20th anniversary, we had some of the NOBA students come to New York and perform with the Complexions company. Whenever we work with NOBA it is a wonderful collaboration.”

A pre-performance talk with co-director Dwight Rhoden will take place at 7:15 p.m. on Mezzanine M2 of the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Tickets for the show proper start at $24 and can be purchased at the New Orleans Ballet Association box office at (504) 522-0996, online at www.NOBAdance.com, or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or on the Ticketmaster website at www.ticketmaster.com. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups.

This article originally published in the April 17, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.