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Union show dances to different beat

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Also by Emily Smolarek:

by Emily Smolarek

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Complexions Contemporary Ballet rocked the Wisconsin Union Theater Sunday night with moves that could be described as anything but formal.

Complexions, a multicultural dance company, includes a diverse troupe of ethnicities and body types. Men and women in pale purple danced to beautiful music with emotion, leaving the audience breathless by the end of the first act.

Dance styles were equally as varied, including classical ballet mixed with modern and even some hip-hop. University of Wisconsin-Madison ballet instructor Marlene Skog said contemporary dance is rooted in ballet, along with other expressive movements.

This was certainly proven during the show. Occasionally, female dancers were on point, and at other times appeared barefoot, and during every genre they were graceful and athletic.

The show opened with a couple, a spotlight and a silver curtain for “Dear Frederic,” in which an ensemble of dancers was paired with the rhythmic music of Chopin, but many acts utilized contemporary pop music.

In “Moody Booty Blues,” couples moved sensually to the sound of electric guitars. Youthful, wild movement came with the sound of The White Stripes’ single, “The Hardest Button to Button.” The dancer, Christina Dooling, sassily kicked off her shoes in the shadows of the stage, came into the light, threw off her jacket and let loose to the drumbeats.

But it was a John Mayer song, “Gravity,” that offered the most surprising sensual performance, during which a man with only black slacks and a woman in a dark dress romantically swayed and twisted across the stage, only to end up slowly rubbing their bodies together until the lights went dark.

At times the show was hard to follow, but only because it was difficult to decide who to watch because there was so much happening at once. The choreography of Dwight Roden — who, along with Desmond Richardson, is the founding artistic director of Complexions — was stunning. All of the performances Sunday night were choreographed by Roden, except for “The Hardest Button to Button,” which was done by Abdur-Rahim Jackson.

The second act opened with three male dancers in “Gone,” a dramatic dance about three brothers struggling through conflict. Each dancer was stunning individually, dancing separately from each other, yet completely in sync. Three women danced in “Lux,” which was introduced with the sound of a bell, followed by a haunting chorus and elegant movements.

A second intermission took place before the finale, “Chapters Suite,” an eclectic mix of Marvin Gaye. The entire dance that took part in the final act was, quite simply, mind-blowing.

“I think the fluidity of the dancers was compelling. They just meshed really well,” said Kristin Kohn, a UW sophomore with 15 years of dance training.

All dancers were coupled up, besides one female who ends up pairing with another female later on in the performance. Romance and love triangles ensued, including a connection between two men; one who later donned a skirt and skillfully struts in black stilettos.

The conflict and passion of each couple’s relationship filled the entire performance. Despite the often fierce choreography, the show remained upbeat throughout, even including a disco ball at one point.

The show ended with audience members standing, clapping and even dancing. From sexy embraces to head banging, I never knew ballet could be so much fun.

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Anonymous (March 4, 2008 @ 1:17pm):

"At times the show was hard to follow, but only because it was difficult to decide who to watch because there was so much happening at once."

Where are your editors?! And, more importantly, why was that monstrosity of a sentence chosen as highlighted text in the newspaper?!

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