Dwight Rhoden

(Founding Artistic Director/Resident Choreographer of Complexions dance company)

Dwight Rhoden has established a remarkably wide-ranging career, earning the distinction from The New York Times as “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day.” A native of Dayton, Ohio, who began dancing at age 17, Rhoden has performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal, and as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. As a performer, he has appeared in numerous television specials, documentaries, and commercials throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, including as a featured performer on many PBS “Great Performances” specials.

In 1994, Rhoden and legendary dancer Desmond Richardson founded Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Together, they have brought their unique brand of contemporary dance to the world for nearly two decades. Complexions is widely considered as “America’s Original Multicultural Dance Company,” and is celebrated for its pioneering spirit. It has built a universal brand that continues to challenge traditional ideas and redefine possibilities in the dance arena. Leading the way as a destination for innovation through courageous and cutting edge programming, Complexions has become a force to be reckoned with. Over the years, Complexions has remained consistent in delivering a profound passion for diversity that has framed its vision and become its hallmark. Rhoden’s choreography has been the lynchpin in the development of the Complexions repertory.  For over 18 years, his work has filled some of the most prestigious theaters across the globe, including The Joyce Theater, The Bolshoi Theater, The Marinsky Theater, Maison De La Danse, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Los Angeles), BAM, Cairo Opera House, The Arts Center (Melbourne, Australia), The Auditorium Theater (Chicago), Tel Aviv Opera House, The ASB Waterfront Theater (Auckland, New Zealand), Holland Dance Festival, Grand Theatre De Geneva (Switzerland), and Isle De Dance Festival (Paris). Complexions and Rhoden's work has been presented on five continents and in over 20 countries, including the USA, Canada, South America, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, The Baltic Region, Egypt, Israel, and the Middle East. “Musicality, innovation, purpose, consistency, a brilliant use of stage space and the ability to tell a story—all these qualities make [Rhoden] one of today's elect choreographers" (The Los Angeles Times).

Since 1994, Rhoden has created over 80 ballets for Complexions, as well as numerous other companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Arizona Ballet, The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company, BalletMet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet/Diamond Project, North Carolina Dance Theater, The Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO!, Mariinsky Ballet, Minneapolis Dance Theater, Phoenix Dance Company, Sacramento Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Washington Ballet, and Zenon Dance Company, amongst others. 

Rhoden is the Resident Choreographer of North Carolina Dance Theatre and has lectured, taught, and created works for and served as Artist in Residence at universities around the United States, including New York University, Juilliard, UC Irvine, Skidmore College, and The University of Mississippi, where his 2004 Racial Reconciliation Project was credited as a catalyst for dialogue in a community that has been historically divided. Rhoden is a beneficiary recipient of various honors and awards including the New York Foundation for the Arts Award, The Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, and The Ailey School’s Apex Award in recognition of his extensive contributions to the field of dance.