The Auditorium Theatre Proudly Presents Complexions: Contemporary Ballet

 

The Auditorium Theatre Proudly Presents Complexions: Contemporary Ballet 

One night only, Saturday, February 3 at 7:30 PM 

Featuring the Chicago Premiere of Star Dust a rocking, high-energy work celebrating the music of David Bowie 

CHICAGO – The Auditorium Theatre (Chicago’s landmark stage at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) proudly presents Complexions: Contemporary Ballet, the New York City-based contemporary dance company with a singular approach to reinventing dance.  The one-night-only performance, titled Star Dust: From Bach to Bowie, features the Chicago premiere of Star Dust, the company’s electrifying, act-long tribute to rock icon David Bowie. The performance is Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the Auditorium Theatre. Tickets start at $30 and are available at auditoriumtheatre.com. 

Founded in 1994 by Alvin Ailey alumni Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, Complexions has an artistic approach that mixes methods, styles, and cultures. Desmond Richardson is a pioneer in the transformation of ballet from a predominately white art form and was the first African American principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre. He also received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the original Broadway cast of Fosse. Master choreographer Dwight Rhoden has created over 80 ballets for Complexions as well as numerous prominent dance companies across America and the world. As a dancer, Rhoden has performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal and as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has appeared in numerous television specials, documentaries and commercials and has been a featured performer on PBS Great Performances specials. Together Richardson and Rhoden 

Star Dust: From Bach to Bowie, much like the company itself, is a celebration of differences and the graceful marriage of aesthetic opposites featuring music that spans from Baroque to contemporary pop. The first half of the mixed repertory program includes beloved works from the company’s repertoire including  Chaconne (from Ballad Unto); Choke; Pocket Symphony; Elegy; and Work It Out (from SBFTE).The second half of the program is  Rhoden’s Star Dust celebrating the work and legacy of David Bowie and featuring some of the greatest hits from his catalogue of rock classics, including “Young Americans,” “Heroes,” and “Space Oddity.” 

“David Bowie, who performed on the Auditorium Theatre stage in 1972, is one of the most iconic voices in the last fifty years of rock and glam music.” says Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan. “Complexions is a company that embodies Bowie’s traits of going against the grain, artistic innovation, and blending genre. We’re excited to welcome Complexions back to our stage for this thrilling program and touching tribute.” 

Contemporary Ballet Master Class 

In addition to performing on the Auditorium stage, the dancers of Complexions will lead a free Master Class for Chicago dancers on Saturday, February 3 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. 

The class will include Nique, Complexions’ signature contemporary ballet technique combining classical and contemporary vocabulary into a valuable training method for pre-professional dancers. This class is most suitable for intermediate/advanced dancers (3+ years of ballet training). The master class will also include movement/choreography from Complexions’ world-renowned repertoire. The class is free with advanced registration. Registration available at auditoriumtheatre.org 

Complexions was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and the legendary Desmond Richardson with a singular approach to reinventing dance through a groundbreaking mix of methods, styles, and cultures. Today, Complexions represents one of the most recognized, diverse, inclusive, and respected performing arts brands in the world.  Having presented an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement on five continents in over 20 countries to over 20 million television viewers and to well over 300,000 people in live audiences, Complexions is poised to continue its mission to bring unity to the world, one dance at a time. 

Complexions has received numerous awards including The New York Times Critics’ Choice Award. It has appeared throughout the US, and the world. The company’s foremost innovation is that dance should be about removing boundaries, not reinforcing them. Whether it be the limiting traditions of a single style, period, venue, or culture, Complexions transcends them all, creating an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world—and all its constituent cultures—as an interrelated whole. More information about the company can be found at complexionsdance.org. 

The Auditorium Theatre, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive at Roosevelt University in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889.  

This Auditorium Theatre’s 2023-24 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. For more information on the Auditorium Theatre and a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org. 

  

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