On Sunday night, two friends and I attended a performance of Complexions, a contemporary ballet company formed by two Ailey alums. Of the three pieces we saw that night, Head Space, Hissy Fits, and Innervisions I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite. They were all spectacular. What’s interesting about this company is that it’s not homogenous. The dancers (you can tell by the company’s name) are of various ethnicities, which, as they dance together, is lovely in itself. But more than that, the dancers, though all lean and muscular, have very different body types. This made synchronous movements varying by degrees, different angles on the torso, longer arms, more muscular thigh. And this for me, was the best thing about every piece.

I’m used to seeing ballets from companies where you can’t tell one dancer from the next. And I suppose that has its place. But I think that kind of ballet and company are as old as the thinking that shapes it–that people must be “of a kind.” You see where this kind of thinking leads us. And in a world where borders can be crossed so easily, and people from everywhere are mixing with everyone, and let’s face it, no one can really say they are purebred anything anymore, it’s time to embrace the diversity and the differences. Not just the skin differences, but all of them. ALL.

Who can argue with images like this?