“Forging a path for what ballet can be instead of what it historically has been.”—The Guardian

Founded nearly 30 years ago by two Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre alumni, Complexions Contemporary Ballet is a diverse and athletic company that has performed on five continents and in more than 20 countries. Over the course of four performances at UGA’s Fine Arts Theatre Thurs., Sept. 29 and Fri., Sept. 30, audiences young and older will be transfixed by the group’s explorations of music by Lenny Kravitz (Love Rocks) and J.S. Bach and his son C.P.E. Bach (Hissy Fits).

In addition to the performances for a general audience at 7:30 each night, area students will attend Piedmont Athens Regional Performances for Young People at 10 a.m. (For more information about children’s shows, call (706) 542-2634.)

The company’s foremost innovation is that dance should be about removing boundaries, not reinforcing them. Whether it be the limiting traditions of a single style, period, venue, or culture, Complexions transcends them all, creating an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world — and all its constituent cultures — as an interrelated whole.

Co-founder and co-artistic director Dwight Rhoden, who created the works to be performed in Athens, has been called “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day” by the New York Times. He has worked with and/or created works for such high-profile artists as Prince, David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson, Nicholas Payton, The Drifters, Paul Simon, Billy Strayhorn, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, U2, and Patrick Swayze.

Complexions, which is making its UGA Presents debut, has appeared at major European dance festivals including Italy’s Festival of Dance, the Isle De Dance Festival in Paris, the Maison De La Dance Festival in Lyon, the Holland Dance Festival, Steps International Dance Festival in Switzerland, Łódź Biennale, Warsaw Ballet Festival, Kraków Spring Ballet Festival, the Dance Festival of Canary Islands/Spain, and the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur/Canada.

In addition, Complexions has toured extensively throughout the Baltic regions, Korea, Brazil, Japan, Egypt, Israel, Russia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Serbia, Jamaica, and Australia.

Music by J.S. Bach will also be performed on the UGA Presents series at Hodgson Concert Hall by the Belgian early music group Vox Luminis (Oct. 27) and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with new music director Nathalie Stutzmann (March 26, 2023). UGA Presents returns to the Fine Arts Theatre Jan. 27, 2023 for the Aquila Theatre production of Pride and Prejudice.

For a complete list of UGA Presents performances, click here.

Three Ways to Order Tickets

1. Purchase tickets online 24/7 online here.
2. Call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (706) 542-4400, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
3. Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (5 minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)

Photo (Justin Chao): Vincenzo Di Primo and Tatiana Melendez in Love Rocks