Complexions Contemporary Ballet STAR DUST - FROM BACH TO BOWIE Wednesday, October 2, 2019; 7:30 pm FOUNDING ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Dwight Rhoden Desmond Richardson PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER Dwight Rhoden ARTISTIC ADVISORS Carmen de Lavallade & Sarita Allen GENERAL MANAGER Sumaya Jackson REHEARSAL DIRECTORS Natiya Kezevadze, Meg Paul, Ginger Thatcher COMPANY REPETITEUR Clifford Williams TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & RESIDENT LIGHTING DESIGNER Michael Korsch RESIDENT COSTUME DESIGNER Christine Darch PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Luis E. Santiago LIGHTING SUPERVISOR Jesse Muench ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE Christina Dooling, Gary W. Jeter II, Christina Johnson, Jae Man Joo, Natiya Kezevadze, Terk Lewis, Clifford Williams THE COMPANY Jared Brunson, Jillian Davis, Vincenzo Di Primo, Craig Dionne, Larissa Gerszke, Brandon Gray, Maxfield Haynes, Tatiana Melendez, Khayr Muhammad, Daniela O’Neil, Simon Plant, Miguel Solano, Tim Stickney, Eriko Sugimura, Candy Tong, Megan Yamashita Apprentice: April Watson Trainees: Jacopo Calvo & Kaeli Ware 44 2019-2020 PROGRAM GUIDE www.harriscenter.net Complexions Contemporary Ballet continued PROGRAM Program Note: STAR DUST is the first installment of a full evening length Ballet BACH 25 tribute to the genre bending innovation of one of the prolific NYC Premiere Rock Stars of our time — DAVID BOWIE. This Ballet takes an World Premiere April 2018 - Arcata, CA array of his hits and lays a visual imprint, inspired by his unique personas and his restless invention artistically — to create a Choreography by: Dwight Rhoden Rock Opera style production in his honor. With Bowie’s 40+ year Music by: Johann Sebastian Bach & Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach career and 25 Albums, that stretch across musical borders — Lighting Design by: Michael Korsch STAR DUST pays homage to the iconic and Chameleonic spirit Costumes Design by: Christine Darch of what can only be described as... BOWIE. Performed by: The Company * STAR DUST was generously commissioned by Detroit's Music Hall. Program Note: Special Thanks to Vince Paul Reverence, Celebration, Moxie “Warszawa” Written by David Bowie & Brian Eno INTERMISSION Published by Tintoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music, Inc EMI Music Publishing Ltd STAR DUST “Lazarus “ World Premiere May 2016/ Detroit, Michigan Written by David Bowie Publishers: Nipple Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music, Inc. A Ballet Tribute to David Bowie “Changes” Written by David Bowie Choreography by: Dwight Rhoden Published by Tintoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music, Inc; EMI Music Publishing Ltd; Music by: David Bowie BMG Blue (BMI) obo Chrysalis Music Ltd Lighting and Set Design by: Michael Korsch “Life on Mars?” Costumes Design by: Christine Darch Written by David Bowie Published by Tintoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music, Inc; EMI Music Publishing Ltd; Performed by: The Company BMG Blue (BMI) obo Chrysalis Music Ltd “1984” I. LAZARUS (Blackstar album 2016) Written by David Bowie Brandon Gray & The Company Published by Jones Music America (ASCAP) administered by ARZO Publishing; Bewlay Brothers Music; EMI Music Publishing Ltd; BMG Blue (BMI) obo Chrysalis Music Ltd II. CHANGES (Hunky Dory album 1971) “Heroes” Craig Dionne & The Company Written by David Bowie & Brian Eno Published by Tintoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music, Inc; EMI Music Publishing Ltd III. LIFE ON MARS (Hunky Dory album 1971) “Modern Love” Jared Brunson & The Company Written by David Bowie Published by Jones Music America (ASCAP) administered by ARZO Publishing IV. SPACE ODDITY (Space Oddity album 1969) Maxfield Haynes & The Company “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” Written by David Bowie V. 1984 (Diamond Dogs album 1974) Published by Tintoretto Music (BMI) administered by RZO Music, Inc; EMI Music Publishing Ltd; BMG Blue (BMI) obo Chrysalis Music Ltd Tim Stickney & The Company “The Young Americans” VI. HEROES (Heroes album 1977) Written by David Bowie Sung by Peter Gabriel Published by Jones Music America (ASCAP) administered by ARZO Publishing; Bewlay Jillian Davis, Craig Dionne, Khayr Muhammad, Tatiana Brothers Music; EMI Music Publishing Ltd; BMG Blue (BMI) obo Chrysalis Music Ltd Melendez, Miguel Solano ABOUT THE COMPANY VII. MODERN LOVE (Let’s Dance album 1983) Hailed as a “matchless American dance company” by the Miguel Solano & The Company Philadelphia Enquirer, COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet transcends dance tradition through a groundbreaking VIII. ROCK AND ROLL SUICIDE (The Rise and Fall of Ziggy approach to the art. Founded in 1994 by master choreographer Stardust and The Spiders from Mars album 1972) Dwight Rhoden and the legendary Desmond Richardson, Simon Plant & The Company COMPLEXIONS’ foremost innovation is to remove boundaries, IX. YOUNG AMERICANS (Young Americans album 1975) not reinforce them. The company blends methods, styles and cultures from across the globe, and the result is a continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world — and all its cultures — as an interrelated whole. COMPLEXIONS’ artistic directors and company members teach master classes around the world to dancers of all levels, bringing the company's inventive vision of human movement to five continents, over 20 countries and over 20 million television viewers. The company has also performed at major dance festivals throughout Europe. These include Italy’s Festival of Dance; France’s Isle De Dance Festival and Maison De La Dance Festival; the Holland Dance Festival; Switzerland’s Steps www.harriscenter.net 2019-2020 PROGRAM GUIDE 45 Complexions Contemporary Ballet continued International Dance Festival; Poland’s kódź Biennale, Warsaw Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Elton John, and Aretha Franklin, and Ballet Festival and Kraków Spring Ballet Festival; and Spain’s he appears in celebrated films such as the Oscar-Award winning Dance Festival of Canary Islands. COMPLEXIONS has toured Chicago, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe, and the recent extensively throughout the Baltic Regions, Korea, Brazil, Japan, independent film, Fall to Rise. He has worked with fashion Egypt, Israel, Russia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Serbia, Jamaica icon, Tom Ford, Chic’s Nile Rodgers, and recently contributed and Australia. Ballet Festival; and Spain’s Dance Festival of to Grammy-Award winning Jill Scott’s video Back Together, Canary Islands. which features dancers from COMPLEXIONS. Internationally and domestically, he is a master teacher for dance programs COMPLEXIONS has received The New York Times Critics’ Choice such as the New York’s All Stars Project, YoungArts Miami, Award, among numerous other awards. It has appeared in United Way, The Pulse, NYCDA, and ASH. He served as co- theaters across the U.S., including the Joyce Theater, Lincoln creative director and choreographer with David Monn for the Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New Victory Theater (New Park Avenue Armory Gala Masquerade. Richardson is currently York City), the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts guest artist in residence at USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of (New Orleans), Paramount Theatre (Seattle), The Music Center Dance and is the visiting adjunct professor of dance at Southern (Los Angeles), Winspear Opera House (Dallas), Cutler Majestic Methodist University. Theatre (Boston), the Music Hall (Detroit), and the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.) as part of the 2017 Ballet Across America. DWIGHT RHODEN (Founding Artistic Prominent theaters abroad that have hosted COMPLEXIONS Director/Principal Choreographer) has include the Bolshoi Theatre, the Kremlin Theatre (Moscow), established a remarkably wide-ranging The Mikhailovsky Theater (St. Petersburg) and the Melbourne career, earning distinction from The New Arts Center. In the 25 years since its inception, the company York Times as “one of the most sought has born witness to a world that is becoming more fluid, more out choreographers of the day.” A native changeable and more culturally interconnected than ever before. of Dayton, Ohio, Rhoden began dancing Today, COMPLEXIONS represents one of the most recognized at age 17. Rhoden has performed with and respected performing arts brands in the world. It is poised Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, to continue its mission of bringing unity to the world, one dance Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal, and as a principal dancer with at a time. the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 1994, Rhoden and Desmond Richardson founded COMPLEXIONS Contemporary DESMOND RICHARDSON (Co-Founder, Ballet. They have brought their unique brand of contemporary Co-Artistic Director) was the first African- dance to the world for over two decades. Under Rhoden’s American principal dancer of American direction, COMPLEXIONS has become a dance institution Ballet Theatre, and is hailed by The New high in demand, as a center for innovation and cutting edge York Times as one of the greatest dancers programming. Rhoden’s choreography has been the lynchpin of his time. Nominated for a Tony Award of the development of COMPLEXIONS repertory. “Musicality, for his role in the original Broadway cast innovation, purpose, consistency, a brilliant use of stage of Fosse and deemed a standout in the space and the ability to tell a story—all these qualities make Tony-Award winning production After Midnight, Richardson is [Rhoden] one of today's elect choreographers” (Los Angeles highly esteemed by the concert dance and American theater Times). Since 1994, Rhoden has created over 80 ballets for community. He appeared in Twyla Tharp’s Broadway production COMPLEXIONS, as well as for numerous other companies,