
Dwight
Rhoden
Co-Founding Artistic Director
Principal Choreographer
Dwight has established a remarkably wide-ranging career, earning distinction from The New York Times as “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day”. Rhoden began dancing at age seventeen, and performed with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal, and as a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
In 1994, alongside Desmond Richardson, he founded COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet, bringing their unique brand of contemporary ballet to the world, forging a center for innovation and cutting-edge programming. Rhoden’s choreography has been the lynchpin of the company's repertory development. In three decades, he has created over 100 ballets for COMPLEXIONS, as well as for numerous other companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Arizona Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, BalletMet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO!, Mariinsky Ballet, Zenon Dance Company, The Washington Ballet, The Houston Ballet and The San Francisco Ballet, among many others.
Rhoden has also choreographed for So You Think You Can Dance, E! Entertainment’s Tribute to Style, AMICI, Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity, Mozart Her Story, and collaborated with artists including Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Simon, Nina Simone, and many more. A recipient of The New York Foundation for the Arts Award, The Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, and The Ailey School’s Apex Award, and an Honorary Doctorate from the Boston Conservatory in recognition of his extensive contributions to the field of dance.
Currently he is Adjunct Professor at Howard University, and Artistic Professor of Dance at Chapman University.