Desmond richardson biography jacksonville

His grandmother was the choir directress of their church and played piano, while his father was a rhythm and blues musician with the group The Manhattans. Richardson auditioned for the High School of the Performing Arts, where he trained in classical ballet technique and modern dance. Inhe was invited him to become a member of Ailey II. Richardson then danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's main company as a principal dancer from to before starting his own company with fellow Ailey dancer, Dwight Rhoden.

The company sought to diverge from the hetero-normative Black masculinity of the "Soul" aesthetic that was cultivated in companies such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Through Richardson's and Rhoden's direction, Complexions introduced heterogeneity into American concert dance with their emphasis on gender ambivalence and the plurality of race, sexuality, and dance formality.

Desmond richardson biography jacksonville: Desmond Richardson and Jon Lehrer,

At the same time as starting his own company, Richardson joined the Frankfurt Ballet inwhich was under the direction of William Forsythe. Inhe joined the American Ballet Theatre where he performed the lead role in the company's production of Othello and quickly was promoted to become the first Black principal dancer since the inception of the company.

Dance Informa had the opportunity to speak with Richardson on how he does it all. You seem to master every dance style you touch. Desmond Richardson. Photo courtesy of Richardson.

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Having to tap a bit inspired me to investigate that aspect of my dance journey. Your career so far has been so full and varied. What do you think has contributed to your longevity? Have you had any injuries that have taken you out of dance for relatively long periods? If so, how have you kept in shape during those times? At the same time as he danced cutting-edge works with Complexions, Richardson wanted to work with an established ballet company, so he auditioned for William Forsythe, director of the Frankfurt Ballet, who was pushing the boundaries of classical ballet.

Working under Forsythe, Richardson honed his skills in what is known as improvisational technique. Nothing he performs is flat or uninflected. Richardson towered over the dance. His brooding, regal Othello was a man of explosive rage and tenderness, whose frantic yet powerful solos suggested a strong man out of control. Besides his amazing musicality, he moves like a panther.

I admire Baryshnikov in the film White Nightswhere he can be true to himself as both a dancer and an actor. But I talked myself into relaxing, because I love to sing. Performing in a wide variety of works in many styles with other renowned performers in venues worldwide, Richardson seems to have it all. Yet he continually tries to broaden his perspective and experiences.

Alvin taught me the importance of versatility. Dance MagazineAprilpp.

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Guardian London, EnglandOctober 12,p. New York TimesMarch 20,p. C17; December 14,p. B3; December 24,p. H10; December 22,p. C9; December 29,pp. B3; December 4,p. B2; January 10,p. C3; January 11,p.

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B9; November 8,p. A19; June 12,p. B24; June 30,p. B5; December 27,p. AR33; November 25,p. Wall Street JournalJune 10,p. Myself and Dwight, we really learned that there. Alvin, he spoke in a lot of imagery. I need to see your heart, your humanity and soul. We started in on the auspices of having a diverse group, not only ethnically but with music and the bridging of different genres of dance and wanting to really have a voice.

Dwight understood that he really wanted to say something different. But we used what we knew and used that expertise. A recent piece, fromwas the timely Woke. Tell me about it. Woke is being able to understand people. With the queer community and, especially, the trans community, coming under attack across the country, will that find its way into your work as well?

For our first concerts, we had two men in drag. We have non-binary dancers in the company. The way we do it is to really speak through movement. If you see two men on the stage, you witness it. This is the human experience. Even before the pandemic, I was starting to transition off the stage due to my feet. I have bursitis in both feet. I was already trying to understand where I am going, what I am doing, where else I want to go and what do I want to say.

The body does what it does. My body is changing, and I can no longer do those things that I could in my 20s. But there are other things to do.