The Auditorium proudly presents Complexions: Contemporary Ballet

The Auditorium proudly presents Complexions: Contemporary Ballet

The Auditorium, Chicago’s landmark stage at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, proudly announces the return of New York-based Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the internationally acclaimed company will present a captivating evening of dance, featuring For Crying Out Loud—a Chicago premiere paying tribute to the legendary Irish rock band U2. Complexions returns to The Auditorium, 50 E Ida B. Wells Drive, for one night only at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Tickets start at $39.00 and are available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300.

Following last year’s unforgettable David Bowie tribute, Complexions is once again blending the world of rock and ballet, this time with the electrifying sounds of U2. The second act of the evening will be entirely dedicated to For Crying Out Loud, which features the full company of 17 dancers performing to some of U2’s most iconic hits, including Where the Streets Have No Name, Every Breaking Wave, With or Without You, I Will Follow, and Pride (In the Name of Love).

The first half of the performance showcases a diverse mixed repertory program from Complexions’ rich 30-year history, featuring ballets such as This Time, With Feeling (2024), Deeply (2024), Ave Maria (1995), Gone (2000), and Mercy (2009). This eclectic mix of works highlights the versatility and innovation of Complexions’ artistic vision.

Founded in 1994 by Alvin Ailey alumni Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, Complexions has been at the forefront of contemporary dance, renowned for its boundary-defying fusion of ballet, modern dance, and a wide array of cultural influences. Desmond Richardson, a trailblazer in transforming ballet into a more inclusive art form, was the first African American principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and a Tony Award nominee for his role in the original Broadway cast of Fosse. Dwight Rhoden, an award-winning choreographer and master of contemporary ballet, has created over 80 works for Complexions and choreographed for major dance companies around the world.

This year’s performance includes six pieces choreographed by Rhoden, each showcasing the company’s unique blend of technical precision, emotional depth, and diverse cultural influences.

“Auditorium audiences fell in love with Complexions last year,” said The Auditorium CEO Rich Regan. “We’re all excited to see the troupe once again showcase the musical catalog of one of the all-stars of rock, proving that ballet and rock are not only compatible, but a fantastic pairing.”

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, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive 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.

The Auditorium’s 2024-25 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 and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

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