Where Each Movement Is Tailor-Made

According to Funk & Wagnall, there are no gender restrictions on the word “muse.” The dictionary defines the term as “any spirit or power that inspires an artist.” Still, because the Muses of Greek mythology are goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences, it’s hard not to envision the muse as a woman.

Not so in the case of New York City’s Complexions, a multicultural contemporary dance company that performs Nov. 1-4 at downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre. For company choreographer Dwight Rhoden, 39, the muse is 31-year-old Desmond Richardson, a fellow former dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater who founded Complexions with Rhoden in 1994.

The two, who serve as co-directors of Complexions, became friends because, as principal male dancers with the Ailey company, they often found themselves alternating in the same roles. Offstage, however, they found they liked to play different roles entirely: one to visualize movement, the other to interpret it for the first time.

“I’m not one of those people who can choreograph on my own body; I have to have a body in front of me as an inspiration,” Rhoden said by phone from New York, where he was rehearsing with the company before the L.A. opening. Except for rare appearances, Rhoden had retired from dancing when Complexions was formed, but Richardson remains a lead dancer with the company. “Desmond is, quite frankly, one of the most amazing dancers you’re ever going to see. He’s magical.”

The critics agree. Richardson was nominated for a 1999 Tony for his role in “Fosse,” which played at the Ahmanson in 1998, before Broadway. For his Ahmanson performance, the strikingly tall, sculpted dancer was lauded by Times dance critic Lewis Segal for his “slinky, drop-dead star power.”

Speaking by phone from Toronto, where he was at work on a film version of the Fosse musical “Chicago,” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richardson offered a less exalted reason for his role as muse: to help the choreographer remember the steps. “Dwight--he’s an odd one; he cannot remember any of his choreography once he gets it out,” Richardson says, with a warm laugh.

“He always says to me when he is choreographing in his mind, he sees a figure; it is a figure with no color, it is just a shadow, or some sort of thing that happens in his head, he sees shapes. But when he is choreographing for a specific person, this person takes shape in his mind, moving in space. So if he were choreographing for you, he would know your body, look at your body, and know what he can do to make you the best you can look.”

The choreographer’s reliance on a male muse is only one of many factors that make Complexions a bit unusual among contemporary dance companies. Although that particular element came about by chance, both directors say that in every other way, this company is different on purpose, breaking rules and challenging convention wherever possible.

A hunger for eclecticism is common to both Rhoden and Richardson, each of whom started out as street dancers--in Dayton, Ohio, and Queens in New York City, respectively--and moved on to careers that have included dance styles ranging from classical ballet to Broadway. Rhoden, who did not begin his classical training until age 17, has choreographed for the Ailey company, Joffrey Ballet, Philadanco and a host of other dance troupes. Along with his “Fosse” success, Richardson is noted for starring in American Ballet Theatre’s 1999 world premiere of “Othello” by contemporary choreographer Lar Lubovitch.

The company’s name, Complexions, is more than a nod to the deliberate racial and ethnic diversity of the dancers. “Our company is extremely diverse, Asian, Spanish, redheads with freckles, black--it runs the gamut,” Rhoden observes. “When we perform all over the world, it’s about more than just performance--I think our message reads loud and clear. But the name Complexions also has to do with our appreciation of many different types of dancers from many different backgrounds--not just racially and ethnically, but in terms of training.”

The company brings together dancers from the worlds of ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz and musical theater; it has presented dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Joffrey Ballet, Philadanco, Lar Lubovitch, White Oak Dance Project and the Ailey company, among others. Many of the works are performed to original scores by resident composer Antonio Carlos Scott, some with live vocalists: For this engagement, singers include the jazz world’s Charles Veal Jr. and Pauletta Washington (wife of actor Denzel Washington).

It is not unusual to see some dancers in pointe shoes, and some barefoot--in the same dance. “I know it can be a bit jarring to the eye for some people, but we have worked diligently for it to be seamless, and it works,” Richardson says. “Some dancers like to be on pointe, they really love the shoes; some people just don’t. It’s just that simple.

“We really try to tell everybody to bring what you know--we’ll help you out with the other part. If you tap good, if you sing good, we’ll use that at some point. If you have a feeling for jazz or some other sort of movement, we can always work with that.”

Says Rhoden: “We don’t audition dancers for the company; we ask them to join. Or people come to us and ask if they can come in and learn some material. I really take pride in creating for the individual. I’m not interested in any kind of cookie-cutter dancers.”

That said, Richardson and Rhoden are quick to insist their commitment to fusing a wide range of dance styles has not left the company without a style of its own. “It is movement that is very free--it is contemporary. It is by no means classical, but it has a very strong classical base,” Rhoden says.

“The upper body is extremely fluid. Desmond and I were both street dancers, so there is an element of that vernacular, that sort of pop-locking feel to the movement,” he continues. “It’s very intense, very extreme, very athletic. It does have an in-your-face quality to it. It’s very much fueled by the fast-paced, full and speedy time we live in.”

Although the company has core members, each company engagement includes a slightly different cast depending on the availability of the dancers. Many of the dancers maintain active careers in film and television, music videos or musical theater, or as guests with other dance companies. “Also these days, here in New York, it’s very typical that dancers are members of more than one company,” Rhoden points out. “Outside of the large institutions, like the Ailey company or New York City Ballet, there are many dancers who moonlight around a lot.”

The same is true of the company’s directors: Rhoden recently completed work as one of the choreographers for the film “Without a Word,” about three former members who return to a dance company after the founder dies. It stars Patrick Swayze, who is scheduled to be on hand for the Complexions opening gala in L.A.

Because of such disparate schedules, the company may have a performance and touring schedule of anywhere from 15 to 30 weeks a year. “The company is project-based--but we don’t really go with the phrase ‘pickup company,’ because there is a nucleus of dancers,” Rhoden says. “I’d say there’s about 30 dancers that are part of the company, who come in and out. We usually tour with about 16; we are bringing about 20 dancers to L.A.

“The whole idea behind having such a diverse group of dancers is that the dancers can go out, have other lives, do other projects and bring back to Complexions all of their experiences. It continues to be a really rich environment, which is what we wanted.”

Another difference between Complexions and other dance companies: It boasts company regulars who range in age from 19 to about 50. The company’s current artist-in-residence is Ailey veteran Sarita Allen, 46, who began her professional career more than 25 years ago when Ailey choreographed roles for her to the music of Duke Ellington.

Also on the program in L.A. are Carmen de Lavallade, 70, considered to be the muse for modern choreographer Lester Horton, and Gus Solomons Jr., 61. The pair will perform a duet titled “It All,” to music by Bjork. A native Angeleno, De Lavallade has not performed in Los Angeles since the 1950s.

Richardson says the wide age range of dancers in a youth-oriented business was inspired by his and Rhoden’s experiences as young performers with the Ailey company. “When I came to Alvin Ailey, I was the youngest in the company--I was 18, and everyone else was well into their 30s, or even their 40s,” Richardson recalls. “What they gave to me was something beyond a perfectly pointed foot and legs up to their ears; I saw passion and artistry.

“When I watch someone like a Carmen de Lavallade just do a gesture, or just stand , it is so immense. She does this so masterfully, it is just unreal. It can bring you to tears.”

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COMPLEXIONS, Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. L.A. Dates: Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., next Sunday, 2 p.m. Prices: $15-$55. Phone: (213) 628-2772.