A dancer’s long leg reaches skyward as she tilts daringly far off pointe, before launching into a rapid-fire string of intricate steps. Her slinky upper body contrasts with the highly technical classicism of her legs. Her movement has a sense of expansive freedom that’s at once gutsy and elegant.
If this aesthetic sounds familiar, that’s thanks in large part to Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Founded 30 years ago by two former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers—Dwight Rhoden, then a rising choreographer, and Desmond Richardson, his muse—the company has developed a signature style that’s both immediately recognizable and widely influential. Echoes of it can be seen all over today’s opera houses, competition ballrooms, and TV screens.
The company’s debut at New York City’s Symphony Space on June 10, 1994, shocked the dance world by presenting contemporary ballet like a rock concert—loud music, unapologetic movement, little clothing. That first performance was meant to just be a one-off pickup project: Rhoden and Richardson had hired talented friends from various companies to come together for an evening of Rhoden’s choreography. “We didn’t think that it would be anything other than an exploration, but seeing the energy and beauty of these people from different places all working together harmoniously, we looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got to do something with this,’ ” Rhoden says.
At the time, the idea of having dancers of different genres, backgrounds, and body types perform together was revolutionary. The ballet and modern worlds of the 1990s were still very much divided, with ballet considered the top of the hierarchy. “Our message all along has always been about unity, bringing seemingly different things together and watching them fly,” Rhoden says. By setting the same high-octane movement on dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Ailey—and leaning into the individuality of each artist rather than trying to flatten them into sameness—Complexions demonstrated that virtuosity isn’t limited to any one genre.
And people loved it. “They had this electricity around them, and everybody wanted to dance like that because it was so new and hot,” says Theresa Ruth Howard, the founder of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet, who performed with Complexions during its 10th-anniversary season. While William Forsythe was expanding the limits of ballet in Europe, and Alonzo King was taking classical lines off balance in San Francisco, Howard says Rhoden’s unabashed vision of ballet was a new phenomenon for the New York dance scene. It was also really fun. “We’re not afraid to perform. We’re not afraid to entertain,” Richardson says.
The fervor around Complexions had ripple effects throughout the field. In the decade that followed its debut, other new companies—including Armitage Gone! Dance and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet—espoused a similar all-races, all-heights (although always thin) aesthetic that’s since become trendy throughout the field. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion was our model from the get-go,” Richardson says.
Today, what we know as contemporary ballet—particularly in the more commercial realm—is dominated by the exaggerated extensions and in-your-face athleticism that Rhoden helped popularize. Students can now train in the style he and Richardson developed, which they call “Nique.” “I honestly believe that we don’t get today’s version of ‘contemporary dance’ without the influence of Complexions,” Howard says, pointing to “So You Think You Can Dance” in particular. “It created a domino effect that actually helped the field move to a completely different place.”
Many of today’s competition dancers are taught to move with precisely the all-out dynamism and slick performance quality that Complexions is known for. Unsurprisingly, Richardson says a significant portion of the company’s members come from the competition/convention world. And Rhoden takes advantage of those dancers’ prodigious technique. “Every creation, it seems to get more and more technical,” quips dancer Jillian Davis, who’s been with Complexions for 10 years.
The company has not lasted 30 years without encountering challenges. Critical reception has ranged from ambivalent to downright dismissive. Dancers sometimes cycle through the company quickly, which Tatiana Melendez, a former Complexions dancer who’s now at Cincinnati Ballet, chalks up to the physically grueling rep and intense touring schedule. Big projects sometimes get announced then later abandoned. “Dwight is very ambitious and he wants to do so much, so he gets excited about it and tells all the dancers and all the world before they actually secure all the resources to make it happen,” Melendez says.
Yet the company remains beloved by dancers who crave the challenge of stretching their technique in a way that’s more punk rock, less Petipa. “I just love Dwight’s style and how quirky yet technical his work is,” Melendez says. “He and Desmond taught me to move past my limits and always push to do more.”
Popularity among audiences shows no signs of fading, either. Complexions has one of the busiest touring schedules in concert dance, consistently selling out theaters to fans who give Rhoden’s gutsy take on ballet whooping standing ovations. It’s a big reason the company is so often emulated throughout the dance world: Many artists covet the kind of success they’ve had.
“A lot of dance companies look at Complexions as very aspirational because they are able to be nimble and they are able to still tour,” says Washington Ballet artistic director Edwaard Liang, who guested with Complexions for a year in its early days, has programmed Rhoden’s works, and is hoping to one day pull off a collaboration between their companies.
Although Complexions was originally meant to be a project-based pickup company, Liang is unsurprised they’re still at it 30 years later. “I would always bet on Dwight and Desmond,” says Liang. “They are made out of titanium—not only do they have passion, ambition, but they’re survivors.”
What’s Next for Complexions?
As the company celebrates its anniversary, the founders are looking ahead to the future. The biggest item on their wish list is a dedicated space. “After 30 years, we’re still nomadic, renting a studio here, renting a studio there,” says co-artistic director Dwight Rhoden. That’s become especially challenging as the company has grown its educational programs, including workshops and summer and winter intensives that train dancers in Complexions’ signature style, called Nique. With a full-time studio, they could expand opportunities for students even further. “We want a training ground all year long,” Rhoden says.
