The Complexions Contemporary Ballet Returns to LA
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Complexions Contemporary Ballet has not graced the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center since 2001 but returned this April with a bang. The house was packed. Dance set to hip music and classic Marvin Gaye tunes had the crowd swaying in their seats and at other times transfixed by performance. The company headed by co-artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, held performances over the course of a three day weekend. The two co-artistic directors have distinguished accolades. The New York Times describes Rhoden “One of the most sought after choreographers of the day and follows with equally impressive commentary in regards to Richardson as “one of the best dancers of all time.”
Each day of performance had musical deviations. Yet, all three programs began with “Dear Frederick” choreographed by Rhoden to the music of Frederick Chopin. The Friday April 11th performance continued with “Gone” to music of Vera Hall and performed by Odetta. It was followed by “Gravity” to the music of John Mayer. Furthermore, “Loose Change” was
choreographed by Taye Diggs to music of David Ryan Harris, “Moody Booty Blues” to music of Roy Buchanan, and “Lux” to music of Eric Whitacre performed by the Turtle Creek Chorale. The second portion of the program was the least trite. The feel of the second portion of the program took on various cultural overtures. It opened with three men dancing in motions which could suggest a story oppression, slavery and unity. It was followed by a romantic performance then more male oriented dance routines were to follow.
The final portion of the program was filled the music of Marvin Gaye. When oldies but goodies such as “What going on?” and “Mercy, Mercy Me” played, immediately it grabbed the attention and sustained the interest of the audience. The performance mimicked the tone of the late 60’s zest for change. Free love was another reoccurring theme in the final portion. Homosexually was abundantly encompassed into this fold. At times it felt very agenda oriented; however, the story telling cleverly unfolded a moral to the story. Fresh off the heels of the recently highly publicized hate crime which occurred in Southern California, this story illustrates the tragedy. Visually, the third portion of the show came across as crowded with dancers on stage. Despite the apparent the number of dancers on stage at one time helped to drive the message of chaos of the times, the choreography in this section was not stunning. It fell flat.
At most times, the choreography for the men was more challenging. The male dancers stepped up to the challenge with flying colors. Unfortunately, the choreography for the women was not as magnetic as it was for the men. The women also seemed to be weaker performers than their male counterparts. Of the dancers co-artistic director Richardson says, “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.”
