Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden—former Ailey stars who founded their own company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet—just don’t seem to stop. This fall and coming spring, they’re teaching two classes at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas: Advanced Ballet and Men’s Ballet Technique.
Both men have forged unusual paths for themselves (Rhoden, as a principal with Ailey and a choreographed commissioned by Dance Theatre of Harlem and “So You Think You Can Dance”; Richardson, as a principal with both Ailey and American Ballet Theatre), and their teaching styles reflect that. Rhoden’s ballet classes are anything but average, and Richardson is all about teaching ballet vocabulary to competition kids. Their partnering style, too, has always been forward-thinking. With Complexions, they helped redefine the classical pas de deux.