We are blessed to be able to work with some of the most talented young dancers from around the world. When they were a student at the San Francisco Ballet School, they asked one of the teachers if they could wear pointe shoes for part of class and were immediately shut down. At times, Tong considered leaving dance altogether. Brooklyn, New York500+ connections Published on February 19, 2019Complexions Contemporary Ballet. But Coker said things are changing: there’s more knowledge now about healthy bodies, and there’s been a shift toward more athletic aesthetics in ballet. NIQUE is the official techNIQUE of COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet and was created in the formative years of the company by its Founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. He calls this “otherness,” but without the negative connotation that term sometimes implies. She transitioned to modern and post-modern dance soon after. A Postcard From Craig Ramsay: My Best Friend & Cancer Patient, Catherine Wreford, Is Proving Science Wrong, The Dance Enthusiast Asks Kelly Pratt And Ian Kreidich Of Dancers & Dogs. In the fall of 2017, he began work on the set of High Strung Free: Dance alongside actors Harry Jarvis, Juliet Doherty, and Thomas Doherty. He grew up in a household filled with music which fostered his connection to dance; his grandmother was a singer and church choir director while his absentee father was a rhythm and blues musician with the group The Manhattans. Richardson has performed as a guest artist with several world-renowned companies including the Swedish Opera Ballet, the Washington Ballet, Teatro at La Scala, and the San Francisco Ballet. They all bring something unique and have a different training background that adds to the diversity of the company. Richardson continually works to foster the next generation of artists with his internationally acclaimed dance company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, where he serves as co-founder and co-artistic director with choreographer Dwight Rhoden. Complexions is something of a black sheep in American ballet. “It’s really, really special.”, Available for everyone, funded by readers. Photo courtesy of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Contemporary Black Biography, vol. Complexions Contemporary Ballet was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and Legendary Dancer Desmond Richardson and through the years, has grown to become one of the most accomplished Contemporary Ballet Companies in America. Others discover modern dance. But after Haynes joined Complexions, their pointe skills were used as fuel. "Desmond Richardson." 213-740-9327 Throughout his career, Richardson has danced on the most important stages throughout the world. In 1998, Richardson joined the premiere cast of the Broadway musical Fosse for which he received a 1999 Tony Award Nomination. Desmond Richardson is an American dancer, co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Haynes, a self-identified “nonbinary butch queen”, has no interest in portraying ballet’s omnipresent prince figure or performing the formulaic choreography those roles entail. It’s these cemented stereotypes that some people blame for misogyny in ballet, a hot topic in the #MeToo era. Richardson then danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a principal dancer from 1987 to 1994 before starting his own company with fellow Ailey dancer, Dwight Rhoden. It’s not the only occasion in which they’ve made an artistic choice that goes against the grain. Complexions was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and Legendary Dancer Desmond Richardson and has through the years grown to become the World's most accomplished and technically sound, Contemporary Ballet Company. But ballet has been slow to evolve and promote inclusivity beyond the confines of a Eurocentric ideal, and even its supporters have taken notice. Make an impression - place an ad on The Dance Enthusiast. For more of The Dance Enthusiast Asks, click here. Richardson has worked in television, film, and video in the United States and abroad. Dance Listings “We just all assumed that if you couldn’t hack it, that that was on you, and that it was just effortless for everyone else,” Coker said.