Complexions Ballet @ Infinite Energy Center Rescheduled

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Celebrates

Establishment of Atlanta Office and

Inaugural Gwinnett Season

World Famous Dance Company Extends Reach to Georgia

As Part of the BEYOND 20 Campaign for the 2015-2016 Season

Featuring Four New Works Including Repertory Favorites

December 30th – 7:30 PM at Infinite Energy Theater

New York, NY– Complexions Contemporary Ballet (Complexions) celebrates the kick off of the company’s 21st season with the roll out of the first phase of the BEYOND 20 campaign, a strategic long term plan for the company’s growth on a national scale. As part of this plan, Complexions is proud to announce its expansion outside of its home in New York City with the opening of a new office in Atlanta to bring its unique form of multicultural inspired dance to broader audiences nationwide. In commemoration of its new presence in Atlanta, the company will be hosting one of its famous Complexions’ dance intensives at the Infinite Energy Forum from December 26-30. Following the intensive, there will be a full performance on December 30 at 7:30 PM in the Infinite Energy Theater (formerly the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center) as a part of the company’s 2015-2016 season.

“We are ecstatic to expand our operations from New York City to the Atlanta market and look forward to it being a permanent home for our distinctive brand of contemporary ballet. It is our hope to become a force within the dynamic artistic fabric of the region and to share our level of creative excellence with the local community.” said Desmond Richardson, Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

“Atlanta is a perfect location for Complexions to expand its brand because of the city’s growing performing arts scene. As a company, Complexions is known for pushing the boundaries and with the ardent support of Atlanta philanthropists and board members Su Longman and Tony Conway, we were able to support our mission of bringing our distinctive vision of dance to new audiences.” said Dwight Rhoden, Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

On a program consisting of four premieres, Complexions continues to lead the way with its unprecedented approach to contemporary ballet. For its inaugural season in Atlanta, the company will premiere STRUM, a world premiere set to the famous songs of Metallica; BALLAD UNTO… a work about unrequited love set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, and Partita #2 - Chaconne; CRYIN’ TO CRY OUT an excerpt inspired by the legendary voice and lyrics of famed Jazz singer Jimmy Scott; and the debut of the company’s Icon Series, an annual new piece dedicated to the artists that continually inspire Complexions. This season, the company pays tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou in a new work, IMPRINT/MAYA featuring a solo performance by Complexions’ own Desmond Richardson. In addition to these new works the company will also include various pieces from the company’s 20-year history. Detailed information on these works is below.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased via phone at (770) 626-2464 or online at http://www.infiniteenergycenter.com.

The Infinite Energy Theater is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097.

For information on Complexions’ dance intensives, please visit: http://www.complexionsintensives.com/

For the most up-to-date schedule for all Complexions Contemporary Ballet programming, follow Complexions via the below links and visit http://www.complexionsdance.org.

Twitter: @ComplexionsNYC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/complexionsdance

About Complexions Contemporary Ballet

It is artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson’s lifelong appreciation for the artistic and aesthetic appeal of the multicultural that forms the cornerstone of Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s singular approach to reinventing dance. Founded in 1994, Complexions’ groundbreaking mix of methods, styles, cultures has created an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement over the past 20 years. 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. Together, Rhoden and Richardson have created in Complexions an institution that embodies its historical moment, a sanctuary where those passionate about dance can celebrate its past while simultaneously building its future. In the 21 years since its inception, the company has bore witness to a world that is becoming more fluid, more changeable, and more culturally interconnected than ever before—in other words, a world that is becoming more and more like Complexions itself.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Program

All Shows

BALLAD UNTO… (Atlanta Premiere)

GONE (2000)

CRYIN’ TO CRY OUT (Atlanta Premiere - Excerpt)

CHOKE (2006)

TESTAMENT (2010 Excerpt - Amazing Grace)

IMPRINT/MAYA (Atlanta Premiere)

STRUM (Atlanta Premiere)

**Programs subject to change**

BALLAD UNTO… – A large scale, sweeping, full company Neo - Classical work set en pointe to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. This work rolls onto the stage with bold and sprawling emotionality as seven couples interact in an intimate abstraction of love. Set to two of Bach’s most well known compositions, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue and Partita # 2 - Chaconne this work is an ultra modern dream in the dynamics of relationships and their unpredictable journey. Composed in three movements, BALLAD UNTO… is ultimately a tale of love and connection - where destiny is the wild card that charts its course into deeply beautiful places; where in the power of these rich alliances ultimately lies the fantasy that decides their fate.

CHOKE – A duo for two men that highlights opposing qualities and competitive energies set to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons’ Summer section. CHOKE uses a contemporary ballet style to show the spirit of rivalry exhibited through athleticism and virtuosic dancing.

CRYIN’ TO CRY OUT – A work for 6 - 8 performers inspired by the haunting and extraordinary voice of the hard luck Jazz singer Jimmy Scott. Ray Charles once said “As singers we deal in pain, and Jimmy has more pain and prettiness in his voice than any singer anywhere.” CRYIN’ TO CRY OUT uses Scott’s delivery of ponderous lyrics and his vocally elongated style to inspire movement that suspends, folds, trickles then fades away. Heartbreak and emotion pour onto the stage through intimate vignettes of duos, trios, and solos sending a message of resilience in the face of adversity.

GONE – An emotionally raw trio for men that depicts a spirit of survival. Three men explore states of destitution, loneliness, and hopelessness only to find in each other the will to survive through camaraderie and brotherhood. GONE is set to an acapella song entitled “Another Man Done Gone” and sung by American Folk singer, Odetta.

IMPRINT/ MAYA – The Icon Series is an ongoing series of dance works that will pay tribute to important iconic figures in history, and celebrate their legacy and influence. First up in this series is the fascinating work of Dr. Maya Angelou, a pioneering author, poet, dancer, actor and singer. Dr. Angelou’s work resonates with all, and her inclusive mantra of “we are more alike than unalike” speaks volumes. IMPRINT/MAYA will be performed by Desmond Richardson, a living iconic figure in dance. Through intense movement dialogue that comes from within, combined with street vernacular and a classical articulation the work physically expresses poetry’s rhyme and verses in a solo of truth.

STRUM – A work for 14 dancers married to the works of Metallica, who many consider to be one of the greatest Metal bands of all time. STRUM kicks convention to the side as it lets classic songs like Bleeding Me, Fixxxer, The Memory Remains and others portray the turbulent energy of past and present generations. Extreme, passionate, and unforgiving, STRUM pays tribute to individual voices within the collective, as it allows progressive storytelling to cut through riffs and guitars licks and interpret these masterful songs through dance. Controversial themes of life, love, death, and evolution move these 14 performers rapidly in and out of each other’s arms and through space. STRUM empowers the bizarre, unleashes the rebel, and embraces the tender heart.

TESTAMENT – An excerpt from the audience favorite work, AMAZING GRACE is a pas de deux to the classic gospel hymn of the same name. The work is a lush and interconnected contemporary duo that explores the tension of spiritualism within the context of faith and devotion.

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