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 him (Rhoden) one of today’s elect
choreographers.” (The LA 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, The
Dance Theater 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, Marinsky Ballet (Kirov),
Minneapolis Dance Theater, Phoenix Dance
Company, Sacramento Ballet, Oakland Ballet,
Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Washington
Ballet, and Zenon Dance Company, among
others. Rhoden has also directed and
choreographed for TV, film, theater and live
performances including So You Think You Can
Dance, E! Entertainment’s “Tribute to Style,”
Amici, and Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity, and
choreographed and appeared in the feature film
“One Last Dance.” He has also worked with
and created works for such high-profile artists
as Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson,
ELEW, David Rozenblatt, Nicholas Payton,
The Drifters, Paul Simon, Billy Strayhorn,
Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, U2, The Turtle
Creek Chorus, and Patrick Swayze. Rhoden
was also recently commissioned to create
a work for the centennial celebration of
renowned collage artist Romare Bearden,
and has directed and choreographed The
Great Gatsby Ballet. “Rhoden’s work is post-
Balanchinean choreography, a new aesthetic
in movement, stage, picture, and performance
concepts reflecting a post-modern, technosavvy
worldview” (Dance Magazine).
Widely known as “a dancer’s choreographer,”
Rhoden has worked with, coached and created
for some of the most diverse artists spanning
the worlds of ballet and contemporary dance
including legendary dance artists Carmen De
Lavallade, Misty Copeland, Wendy Whelan,
46 CENTERBILL • FEBRUARY 2018
Maria Kowroski, Diana Vishneva, Desmond
Richardson, Sandra Brown, Jodie Gates and
Gus Solomons.
Rhoden is the resident choreographer of The
Charlotte Ballet and has taught, and served
as artist-in-residence at universities around
the United States including New York
University, Juilliard, UC Irvine, Skidmore
College, The Boston Conservatory, and The
University of Mississippi, where his 2004
Racial Reconciliation Project was credited as
a catalyst for dialogue in a community that
had been historically divided. Rhoden is a
beneficiary recipient of various honors and
awards including the New York Foundation
for the Arts Award, and subsequent induction
into the NYFA Hall of Fame, The Choo San
Goh Award for Choreography, and The Ailey
School’s Apex Award. Rhoden was recently
nominated for a Benois De La Dance award
for his libretto for Gatsby The Ballet, and
received an honorary doctorate degree from
The Boston Conservatory in recognition of his
extensive contributions to the field of dance.
JAE MAN JOO (Associate
Artistic Director, Resident
Choreographer) started
classical ballet training in
Kwang-Ju, Korea here he
was born and raised. He
graduated from Dankook
University in Seoul, Korea. He studied and
mastered classical ballet and modern Korean
traditional dances with no boundaries. In
1996, he received The Best Individual Artist
Award from The Bagnolet International Dance
Festival in Paris, France. He was a Principal
dancer at the Complexions Contemporary
Ballet and at Ballet Hispanico. He has also
worked with Shen Wei, Zvi Gotheiner, Igal
Perry, Jessica Lang and Michel Elliman.
Jae Man Joo is a recipient of the Princess Grace
Award for excellence in choreography in 2009.
He choreographed “Sorrow” (Frank Schubert)
at DTW in 2004 and “Duet” (Jules Massenet)
2006 Korean Dance Museum invitation. As
a resident choreographer for Complexions
Contemporary Ballet, he created “Tears”
(Sergei Rachmaninoff) in 2007, “Surface”
(Claude Debussy) in 2008, “Atmosphere”
(J.S.BACH) in 2009, “FLIGHT” (J.S
BACH) in 2012, “RECUR” (Max Richter,
Silverstrov) in 2013. All premiered at The