The Arthropologist

Dance as diplomacy: Inspired by Rwanda, Urban Souls' Walter Hull fuses Africanmotifs and hip hop

Leonard Price of Urban Souls Dance Company in "Across the Waters"
Photo by Amitava Sarkar
Kimisagara Youth Center, Male Development Workshop
Rwandanese dancers in "My Soul is Urban" workshop at Ishyo Arts Centre
Artist Leonard Price of Urban Souls Dance Company in "Rwanda"
Photo by George Guillen
Walter Hull and artists of Urban Souls Dance Company in "Across the Waters"
Photo by Amitava Sarkar

Dance is a form of diplomacy. In fact, it's happening right now in Houston.

When the Urban Souls dancers take the stage on Saturday for Walter Hull's Women of Ishyo, they will be honoring another set of women in Rwanda, who touched his life and work. Hull, general manager of Urban Souls Dance Company, recently returned from a residency at Ishyo Art Centre in Kigali, Rwanda, where he taught, choreographed and conducted empowerment workshops he called "My Soul is Urban."

Hull fused African motifs and urban modern techniques to tell a tale of the vision and persistence that it took to build the successful Ishyo Art Centre. His tribute headlines "Playlist: A Jazzy Night of Music & Dance" at Morris Cultural Arts Center, Houston Baptist University, which concludes Urban Souls Dance Company's inaugural season.

There was nothing arbitrary about Hull's destination. In 2005, the choreographer became interested in Rwanda after watching Sometimes in April, an HBO movie that is considered one of the most accurate films on the 1994 genocide. (The movie screens on August 25 at the Shape Community Center as part of the Houston Museum of African American Culture.)

"I was ashamed, I didn't know about it," remembers Hull. At a John Legend show at House of Blues, he spotted Idris Elba, who starred in the film. (Elba is most famous for the role of Stringer Bell in The Wire.) Hull took it as a sign that Rwanda was in his future. Little did he know just how much.

Hull turned his interest into an artistic exploration when 2007, Urban Souls exploded on the Houston dance scene with Across the Waters, a dance chronicling the genocide. Jointly choreographed by Hull and Artistic Director Harrison Guy, the potent dance told a brutal story, while leaving room for hope and healing. The team delved deep into research to create the piece, sharing their findings and feelings with the dancers. Across the Waters went on to become the standout piece during the Dance/USA showcase in 2009, leaving audiences stunned by its truth and honesty.

When an opportunity to travel to Rwanda in partnership with the U.S. Embassy arose, Hull jumped on board. The plot thickened when he arrived at Ishyo to find none other than Carole Kamemera, who also starred in the HBO film, running the place. "My dance honors Carole and four other women who founded Ishyo and organized my residency by demonstrating how a vision turn into reality," says Hull. "Ishyo started as a dream, and the right people came together to bring it to life. Like us, they believe art should be accessible. But, that's not all, Ishyo was founded in 2005, the same year as Urban Souls."

Fate and destiny collided for Hull, all very far from home, but so close to his heart.

The arts are in short supply in Rwanda, yet more important than ever for a culture still in the midst of healing from a tragedy that we still struggle to understand. Hull found the students excited to get some Western influences in contemporary and hip hop dance. "Hip hop is like a universal language," he says. "They were so eager to learn."

With the mission of Urban Souls global from the get go, Hull eventually plans to divide his time between Houston and Rwanda. But for now, he's pleased to be honoring his Rwandan colleagues with a big dance party. Also on the program is Guy's Pluck’d by Duke, a tribute to Houston’s own jazz legend, Barrie Lee Hall, Jr., with live music by The Conrad Johnson/Barrie Hall Big Blue Sound. Hall, Jr. a renown plunger style trumpet player, was handpicked by Duke Ellington to play in The Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Both Hull and Guy see themselves as arts activists, making a difference in their community, working with young people, and infusing their dances with social messages. They enlist their community organizer backgrounds into their mission. Urban Souls comes full circle by including Hull's tribute to Rwanda, a place that has left it's mark on this remarkable young company. Hull reminds me, "We are a social arts organization."

Urban Souls Dance Company rose to prominence with Across the Waters

Watch the super steamy Urban Souls preview video

unspecified

Movie review

Will Arnett shines in Bradley Cooper’s divorce drama Is This Thing On?

Photo by Searchlight Pictures/Jason McDonald

Will Arnett in Is This Thing On?.

With 12 Oscar nominations in the past 12 years in multiple categories, Bradley Cooper has turned into not only an acclaimed actor, but also a touted filmmaker. Given that pedigree, it might be difficult to remember that he first gained recognition as a comedy star in movies like Wedding Crashers, Yes Man, and The Hangover series. For his latest directorial effort, he has married comedy with drama in Is This Thing On?.

Unlike the previous two films he directed, Cooper only has a supporting role, ceding the lead to Will Arnett. He plays Alex Novak, who, as the film begins, is starting the process of divorce from his wife of 20 years, Tess (Laura Dern). Forced to move to a depressing apartment in New York City and only getting limited time with his two kids, Alex finds the unexpected outlet of stand up comedy when he signs up for open mic night at the famous Comedy Cellar.

The film follows Alex as he continues to pursue comedy while still having to see Tess on a regular basis, thanks to a shared custody agreement and get-togethers with friends like Balls and Christine (Cooper and Andra Day) and Stephen and Geoffrey (real life couple Sean Hayes and Scott Icenogle). While the comedy serves as a form of counseling for Alex, truly moving on proves more difficult than expected.

The film, co-written by Cooper with Arnett and Mark Chappell, is loosely based on the real-life story of British comedian John Bishop, so one of the biggest things they needed to get right was the comedy itself. Alex’s marital situation lends his comedy more of a confessional style than actual jokes, and his evolution in that space is done well. Shooting in the actual Comedy Cellar and populating the club with real comedians like Amy Sedaris, Jordan Jensen, Reggie Conquest, and more gives those scenes an extra dose of realism.

As if to underscore the personal and emotional nature of the story, Cooper and cinematographer Matthew Libatique make liberal use of closeups with handheld cameras. The camera is constantly moving around and often seems to be right in the actors’ faces, something that is most noticeable when Alex is performing. As if the stories Alex was telling weren’t intimate enough, having Arnett's entire face fill the frame forces the audience to pay attention to what his character is saying.

If there is something to knock about the film, it’s a lack of dramatic stakes. While there’s natural tension between Alex and Tess due to the divorce, it’s way less than in a movie like, say, Marriage Story. There’s also a sneaking suspicion that Cooper was just looking to have fun with the film, casting himself as the comic sidekick and working with good friends like Arnett and Hayes. If ever there was a good hang divorce movie, this is it.

Arnett rarely gets to be in movies, much less as the lead, but he ably embodies this somewhat dramatic part. It helps that he’s given a great scene partner like Dern, who knows when to dial her acting up or down for a particular situation. Cooper and Day are also good despite their story being slightly superfluous, and Christine Ebersole and Ciarán Hinds as Alex’s parents lend the film some extra gravitas.

Is This Thing On? is a much different type of film from Cooper’s first two directorial efforts, A Star is Born and Maestro, and it’s nice to see the filmmaker offer something new. It has a relatable story for anyone who has ever been married while offering an element of uniqueness with someone discovering an undiscovered skill late in life.

---

Is This Thing On? opens wide in theaters on January 9.