And the Beat Goes On...Invigorating the Arts

Complexions - A Concept in Dance performing "Red," choreographed by the company's co-artistic director, Dwight Rhoden. Photograph by Stefan Pleger.

December 2007

Do all the swans in Swan Lake have to be white?

Critics have long complained that classical ballet companies have done far too little to diversify their troupes. Of course, Alvin Ailey and Dance Theater of Harlem are two companies that have offered opportunities to talented minority dancers. But in 1994, former Alvin Ailey principal dancers Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson started a multiracial, contemporary ballet company.

Complexions - A Concept in Dance "was not just a name — it was a philosophy of personnel," wrote noted dance critic, Clive Barnes, in January 2007. "Not only would the style be a 'contemporary' third stream between classic ballet and modern dance, but Rhoden and Richardson also did what everyone else talked about: develop an absolutely multiracial troupe. Now, 13 tough years later...it remains alive and kicking like a racehorse. It has nurtured a remarkable group of dancers: high-voltage, high-wattage, high-energy." In addition to an annual season at the Joyce Theater, the company tours nationally and internationally. A two-year $60,000 grant in 2007 from our Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund supports the company.