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.