Gratitude Muse
"Instructions for living a life: pay attention, be astonished, tell about it."
— Mary Oliver
PRESS RELEASE
COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET
January 23, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Isabelle Larkin | Publicist
(858) 456-1234
Complexions Contemporary Ballet presents “Black is Beautiful”
2021 season goes digital with new dance film
Key Words: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dance, Film, Black Lives Matter, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Misty Copeland, Terrell Lewis, Aicha Therese, Mr. Reed, Poetess Jess, Jacob Hiss, Black is beautiful, Snatched back from the edges, #saytheirnames
(New Rochelle, N.Y.)—Complexions Contemporary Ballet announces the release of a new dance film choreographed by Co-Artistic Directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. The film, entitled “Black is Beautiful,” will premiere on Feb. 3 on the company’s Youtube channel, with subsequent films to be released throughout the 2021 season.
In the words of Artistic Director Dwight Rhoden [link], “’Black is Beautiful’, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, is an intense, abstract depiction of the depth of systemic racism and oppression. Its heartfelt message of positivity celebrates black people's power, majesty, and resilience throughout history despite these challenges.”
With the use of spoken word, and in its thematic of social justice, the dance film “Black is Beautiful” is a natural continuation of the work Complexions began on the same themes, in the ballet “Woke” [link] in 2019.
Co-Artistic Director Desmond Richardson [link] describes the origins of the project and its process: “The pandemic forced us to reimagine our season this year. We turned to the medium of film and discovered that we could innovate our style and reinvigorate movement in ways we’d never thought of before. The use of close-ups and urban settings allowed our dancers to be expressive in a real-life setting, and that is really powerful and exciting.”
“Black is Beautiful” is danced by Jared Brunson, April Watson, Maxfield Haynes, Khayr Fajri Muhammad, Larissa Gerszke and Brandon Gray [single link to company bios].
The premiere of “Black is Beautiful” is introduced by former Complexions company dancer Christina Johnson, and features remarks by Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Terrell Lewis, and special guest Misty Copeland [link]. The choreography is set to the spoken words of U.K. artists Terrell Lewis [link], Aicha Therese [link], Mr. Reed [link] and Poetess Jess [link]. The cinematography is by Jacob Hiss.
About Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Complexions was founded in 1994 by Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and the legendary dancer Desmond Richardson. Their singular approach to dance created a groundbreaking mix of methods, styles and cultures. Today, Complexions represents one of the most recognized and respected dance companies in the world. Complexions has performed in 20 countries on five continents, for over 20 million television viewers and over 300,000 people in theaters. To build upon this impressive legacy, Complexions intends to continue its mission: to bring unity to the world one ballet at a time. Learn more at: www.complexionsdance.org, or visit us on Instagram and on Facebook.
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