Dance Review: Complexions Contemporary Ballet at George Mason

"Routines," a new work in the repertory of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, begins like a stylized rehearsal. Orchestral strings tune while the dancers stretch in unison. Then, the company diva arrives -- late -- and starts preening between pirouettes: Joo-Hwan Cho must think he's Nureyev, although he's sporting a mohawk, he's clad in the bare minimum of blue spandex and he's Korean.

Cross-cultural ballet with attitude pretty much captures what Complexions is all about. Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson founded the company 15 years ago after defecting from Alvin Ailey with the goal of creating a more global corps. Their 15 ultrafit dancers hail from seven countries. The men jump and lift their partners with an athleticism that should be the envy of any American company, while the women display spot-on technique. More important, wearing toe shoes has never looked like so much fun.

Saturday night at George Mason University, a nearly full Center for the Arts saw Complexions put on two full works and five short pieces, all by Rhoden. "Routines" would be better split into two more developed ballets (one depicting the rehearsal and one the zany performance that follows). The brief "Moody Booty Blues" stood out by setting classical showcase choreography to a guitar solo. "Rise," a medley of U2 songs, was uneven but fun.

As the evening wore on, two recurring themes grew trying: the jerky, too-fast quality of Rhoden's choreography and the scantily dressed men. (Yes, they have gorgeous chests, but really -- tighty-whities?) Give these dancers a chance to work with another choreographer once in a while, and they would reach even higher elevations.

-- Rebecca J. Ritzel