INTERVIEW: Complexions finds inspiration in the music of Lenny Kravitz
Photo: Khayr Muhammad and Jillian Davis are featured in the world premiere Love Rocks from Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Photo courtesy of Justin Chao / Provided by GOGO PR with permission.
If there is one thing that Complexions Contemporary Ballet knows how to do well (and, let’s be honest, they do many things quite well), it’s their choreographic exploration of rock ‘n’ roll and popular music. They have interpreted the songs of U2, Metallica and the Rolling Stones, to name but a few.
Their next rock god is Lenny Kravitz, the singer and musician who has had a successful decades-long career. His music serves as inspiration for Complexions’ world premiere, Love Rocks, playing now at the Joyce Theater in Chelsea. The piece joins a full slate of works, spread out over three programs, which run through Sunday, Feb. 2.
“This one I’m very excited about because of the Lenny Kravitz music and just really getting the chance to dive into his music,” said Dwight Rhoden, master choreographer for Complexions, in a recent phone interview. “I’ve been a fan for a long time, and I actually worked with him almost 20 years ago. I think that is one of the pieces that I’m most excited about.”
Rhoden has choreographed all of the works for the company he co-founded in 1994 with dancer Desmond Richardson. Together they have carved out a nice spot in the competitive world of modern dance and ballet, and their annual visit to the Joyce is always a highlight for Big Apple dance enthusiasts.
“I have done a number of rock ‘n’ roll or pop music ballets,” Rhoden said. “One of the most recent is the David Bowie tribute that I did called Stardust that has been running and still running, especially when we’re on tour. I also did U2, and I’ve done the Rolling Stones. I’m one of those people who just loves to dive into popular culture and really find a way to show the beauty of that kind of music with a contemporary ballet aesthetic.”
Rhoden has been a fan of Kravitz and his music ever since the musician’s first album, 1989’s Let Love Rule. Over the years, Kravitz has had many hit tunes, including “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Fly Away,” “American Woman” and “Always on the Run,” among many others.
“In the ’90s and early 2000s, I worked with Prince, and one of those instances we were doing a show at Paisley Park,” Rhoden remembers. “And Lenny Kravitz opened a performance, and that’s where I met him. And that was one of the shows where I actually staged one of his songs that was a hit at that time, ‘American Woman.’ That’s where we actually met for the first time, so I’ve been a fan, love his music, really like who he is and what he’s all about. He’s somebody who is really all about love and unity and togetherness, and his music really, really provides a platform for that kind of a message. I think it really fits in really well with who and what Complexions is, so it was kind of a natural fit, I want to say.”
Other selections for the Joyce run include Bach 25, which first premiered in 2018, and Woke, which first premiered in 2019. This latter work features a variety of music from a number of musicians, including Kendrick Lamar, Logic and Lil Wayne.
“Woke is a very intense work that uses a lot of different artists,” he said. “This piece itself is really about what I see happening in the world. It has a caption: A Physical Reaction to the Daily News. So it’s like all the different issues that we’re experiencing, everything from gun violence to inequality, social justice, the #MeToo movement. It looks at LGBTQ rights; it looks at a lot of different issues that we are all contemplating daily. It also takes a look at capitalism and greed and corporate greed. It looks at all the different things that are happening in the world today. It also kind of looks at how the young people are actually making their voices be heard and is kind of a rally almost. The ballet itself is about 40 minutes long. It’s very physical, very intense emotionally, and it deals with the idea of being woke and aware, who and where we are as a people and those challenges.”
Rhoden made the piece last year for Complexions’ 25th anniversary season. The idea behind Woke had been on his mind for quite some time, but before creating the movements, he put those ideas through a personal process of thinking, listening and writing.
“I want to say it was at least six to eight months before I actually began the process,” Rhoden said. “I really started to work on my ideas and put them on paper first and just write about what I want to do and what I want to see. I’m a bit of a news junkie myself, so I’m always currently looking at what is happening and thinking about how that can inspire a new work. Woke was really something that came very organically once we got into the studio, and the dancers really took hold of it. They were really participating in the process. Of course, I don’t ask them to make up the choreography, but they really did contribute their own hearts and souls and their own opinions. And their energy just informed the way that the piece came out, which was really fun for me because I always like to have the artist be a part of what is being built. The end-all journey is wherever they take it with my direction.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs at the Joyce Theater in Chelsea through Sunday, Feb. 2. Click here for more information and tickets.
