Shop Talk at the Menil

Mark Morris and Stanton Welch discuss the fine pointes of dance

"It's a wonderful thing to be a living choreographer," pronounced the legendary choreographer Mark Morris in front of a capacity crowd Thursday night at The Menil Collection during a public conversation with Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch. Morris is in town with his famed modern dance troupe, Mark Morris Dance Group, for a Society for the Performing Arts performance this weekend at Wortham Center's Cullen Theater.

A slightly nervous Welch questioned Morris on his choice of western swing founder, Bob Willis and the Texas Playboys for his piece, Going Away Party, his interest in storytelling, the differences between dancers from other countries, the limitations of pointe shoes and opera. Morris entertained the adoring crowd with his usual wit, charm and punchy opinions.

Welch also engaged the iconic choreographer on his other musical choices from Mozart to Beethoven and his experience conducting and directing operas. "Several choreographers are willing to choreograph to music that I hate, not you though," Morris said, pointing to the relieved Houston Ballet director.

Morris taught Houston Ballet's company class earlier that day and the troupe will be performing his snappy Sandpiper Balletin May. Welch questioned Morris on his incredibly disciplined choreographic process for Sandpiper, which included a large grid. "It's very North Korea, with rows of five across and five down," Morris said.

As you might expect from two choreographers, the subject of dancers came up. Morris is not a fan of the dour, dead-faced, "dancer botox" look. "My dancers look like people, because they are," quipped Morris. "They are adults. There's no driftwood in the company."

Prior to the talk, Morris led a VIP crowd through the Menil where he dropped the Rothko bomb. He loves the paintings, but said the the chapel structure doesn't move him. "Maybe I should have been a Buddhist," he said. But he offered some thoughtful opinions about the power of Rothko's work.

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Movie Review

Disney delivers strong performances and stunning animation in Moana 2

Photo courtesy of Disney

Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) in Moana 2.

When Moanacame out in 2016, Walt Disney Animation Studios (the non-Pixar side of the studio) was in the midst of a creative boom, having released Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Zootopia over the previous four years. In the eight years since, though, the studio has — outside of the stellar Encanto — been in a rut, with studio mergers, a reliance on sequels, and the pandemic all combining for subpar products.

Unfortunately for Disney and fans of the first film, Moana 2 does not break that streak. Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) has become the go-to wayfinder for her tribe on the fictional Polynesian island of Motunui, traveling long distances on her own thanks to her special connection with the ocean. As the film opens, she’s continuing her mission of exploring other islands in the region in hopes of finding other people besides her own tribe.

A message from her ancestors gives Moana fresh hope, and she recruits tribemates Loto (Rose Matafeo), Moni (Hualalai Chang), and Kele (David Fang) to join her on a voyage to an island that may or may not exist. Naturally, along the way they meet up with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who’s run into his own issue, being held captive by the bat-obsessed enchantress Matangi (Awhimai Fraser).

On the positive side of the ledger, the animation is as beautiful as ever, with the water and other scenery especially impressive. And the returning actors, including Cravalho, Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, and Rachel House, all bring nice touches to their performances. The songs, while not as dynamic as those from the original film, provide nice showcases for Cravalho, Johnson, and others.

But the film, which started off as a streaming series for Disney+ before being reworked into a movie, has almost none of the same feeling as the first film. The main plot is not very interesting, mostly because the obstacles thrown in Moana’s way are odd. The filmmakers’ choice to bring in three crewmates for Moana is also strange, as each of the characters acts more like a comic relief figure than an integral part of the story.

Moana and Maui remain the best parts of the film, but because they have to compete with other characters for attention, their collective impact is lessened. Matangi seems like she’s supposed to be the villain of the film, but her presence winds up being confusing. The filmmakers try to force some emotion into the film by giving Moana a clingy younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), but like most of the other new elements, she too falls flat.

With any sequel, the hope is that it will recreate the magic that made the first film so beloved. Moana 2, while not as egregiously bad as some other Disney follow-ups, does not offer nearly enough to be compared favorably to its Oscar-nominated predecessor.

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Moana 2 is now playing in theaters.

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