Contemporary Ballet Company to Perform at UW March 9

Renowned contemporary ballet company Complexions will perform at the University of Wyoming Wednesday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium as part of the UW Cultural Programs series.

Tickets cost $10 for students, $25 for the public and $20 for seniors, faculty and staff. Tickets are available at the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk, by calling (307) 766-6666 or going online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

Complexions uses dance through different styles and cultures, and has performed at many renowned theaters across the United States. The New York City-based ballet company was founded in 1994 by co-artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson.

Rhoden has created more than 90 ballets for Complexions and numerous other companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Arizona Ballet, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company, the Dance Theater of Harlem, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the Joffrey Ballet and New York City Ballet.

Richardson uses a wide range of dance forms, including classical, modern and contemporary, having previously been with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater -- alongside Rhoden -- Ballet Frankfurt, and was the first African-American principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.

“Through our commitment to excellence and transformation, Complexions has continually grown into one of the most unique, diverse and technically sound, contemporary ballet companies in America,” the company’s biography states.

The company has appeared at major European dance festivals all over the world. Through its success, Complexions has received numerous awards, including the New York Times Critics’ Choice Award.

For more information about Complexions, visit www.complexionsdance.org/ or like the company on Facebook.

Each year, UW Cultural Programs brings a variety of internationally known performers to campus, often at ticket prices much less than at larger venues. Three more performances are scheduled this spring, with all programs scheduled at 7:30 p.m. in either the Performing Arts concert hall or the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Shows ranging from the Complexions ballet to a performance by an internationally recognized a cappella group and music from a Grammy Award-winning family group are scheduled this spring. For a complete list of spring programs, visit www.uwyo.edu/culturalprogram/.