WHITE BIRD PRESENTS PORTLAND DEBUT OF
COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET FROM NEW YORK CITY,
FEATURING POWERFUL PERFORMANCE BY
DESMOND RICHARDSON AND DAZZLING CHOREOGRAPHY BY DWIGHT RHODEN.

WHITE BIRD WORDS WITH S. RENEE MITCHELL, WRITER & PERFORMER,
PRECEDES SHOW AT 6:45PM IN SCHNITZER LOWER LOBBY

Who: Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Presented by: White Bird
When: Wednesday April 7, 2010 at 7:30pm
Where: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland
“White Bird Words” Pre-Show Talk:  S. Renee Mitchell, Writer, Performer & Community Leader, 6:45 -7:05 pm Schnitzer Lower Lobby, free to all ticket-holders
Sponsor: The Oregonian
Tickets: $20-$50.  Order through Ticketmaster outlets, 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com.  
Visit www.whitebird.org for the latest information.

White Bird is delighted to announce the Portland debut of Complexions Contemporary Ballet from New York City, founded by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, two former stars of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Overflowing with power and speed, Complexions embraces diversity with 17 dancers of different ethnic and dance backgrounds in work ranging from big, dynamic ensembles to poignant solos and duets.  The highlight of the single-night performance on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall will undoubtedly be the dazzling Rise, set to the music of the renowned Irish rock band U2.

Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden have been hailed by The New York Times as, respectively, “one of the great modern dancers of his time” and “one of the most sought-out choreographers of the day.”  Founding Complexions in 1994, Rhoden and Richardson have dedicated themselves to removing boundaries rather than reinforcing them; they  have created an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world—and all its constituent cultures—as an interrelated whole. The Boston Globe has lavishly praised both of them for assembling “a dynamic troupe of exquisitely lithe and limber dancers with open hips, whiplash limbs, deeply arched backs and stylistic panache.”

Complexions will bring to Portland a program that merges ballet, contemporary dance, jazz and hip-hop into one thrilling experience, set to classical music, gospel, blues, and rock.  The program, choreographed by Dwight Rhoden, will begin with Mercy (2009), danced by the full company, depicting a yearning for grace and perma­nence in the sacred and spiritual deliverance of mankind.   Mercy embraces images of pleading, forgiveness, indignation, grace and pity.

The middle section of the program will comprise several shorter works showcasing the remarkable physicality and versatility of the dancers, culminating in Desmond Richardson’s powerful and dramatic solo Moonlight (1992).  The evening concludes with the dynamic Rise (2008) for the entire company, which explores the dizzying journey of life in all its complexity and ecstasy and features eight songs by U2 that have become the an­thems of a generation.  

Complexions is the inspiration for White Bird’s Tenth Annual Outreach Project with Portland Public Schools (PPS).  A core group of PPS teachers has developed a multi-disciplinary curriculum focused on artistic and cultural diversity that is now being taught to close to 4,000 Middle and High School Students in 40 PPS schools. The Outreach Project will culminate in a free late-morning performance by Complexions for participating students and teachers on April 7 at the Schnitzer.

A na­tive of Dayton, Ohio who began dancing at age 17, Dwight Rhoden has performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal and as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  Since 1994, Rhoden’s choreography has been the linchpin in the development of the Com­plexions repertory, and he has been praised for his prolific body of work, visionary style and boundary-breaking sensibility.  Rhoden has created over 80 ballets for Complexions, as well as numerous other companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Philadanco, and New York City Ballet (Diamond Project).

Comfortable within the realms of TV and film, as well as live performance, Rhoden has choreographed for So You Think You Can Dance, E! Entertainment’s Tribute to Style and Cirque Du Soleil, and he has also worked with such high-profile artists as Prince and Patrick Swayze.  Resident Choreographer of North Carolina Dance Theatre, Rhoden has lectured, taught, created works for and served as Artist in Residence at universities around the United States including New York University, Juilliard and The University of Mississippi.   In 2001 Rhoden received the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, and in May 2006. The Ailey School’s Apex Award in recognition of his extensive contributions to the field of dance.

Desmond Richardson was first recognized as a student at New York High School for the Performing Arts during which time he received a merit scholarship from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the International Academie des Tanz in Cologne, Germany.  In 1987, Richardson joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where he was a principal dancer for seven years before travelling to Germany where he performed with Ballet Frankfurt. Richardson has also performed as a guest artist with such world-renowned companies as the Swedish Opera Ballet, Teatro at La Scala, and San Francisco Ballet. In 1997, he joined American Ballet Theatre where he performed the lead role in the company’s world premiere production of Othello, a performance that led the New York Times to describe him as one of the most majestic dancers ever to tread the Metropolitan Opera stage.

On Broadway, Richardson received a 1999 Tony Award Nomination for his performance in Broadway musical Fosse and has also appeared in the critically acclaimed Twyla Tharp musical Movin’ Out.  In television, film, and video he has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Prince, Aretha Franklin, and Madonna, and was featured in Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi’s film, One Last Dance and the Oscar winning Chicago. He performed the lead role of Beowulf in Julie Taymor’s Grendel at the LA Opera, and recently appeared in Taymor’s Film, Across the Universe.  Awarded the Alvin Ailey School’s 2006 Apex award and the prestigious 2007 Dance Magazine Award, Richardson was also one of two dancers invited by the President of the United States to perform in the in the 60th Presidential Conference in Israel in May 08.

White Bird’s 12th season (2009-10) is supported by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Meyer Memorial Trust, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation,  Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Collins Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Oregon Cultural Trust, The Kinsman Foundation, The Jaffe Foundation, The Autzen Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), and U.S. Bancorp Foundation.