The Arthropologist

Bipartisan cooperation: Houston dance companies join forces for world premiereof squared dancer

Hope Stone Dance and the Metropolitan Dance Company preparing for a run ofsquared dancer

Photo by © Simon Gentry
Composer Marc Hennessey, who plays live for the premiere

Photo by © Simon Gentry
Met dancers Cynthia Harada and Kerry Jackson in rehearsal for the world premiereof squared dancer

Photo by © Simon Gentry
Promo shot of Hope Stone Dance and Houston Metropolitan Dance for squared dancer

Photo by © Simon Gentry
Catalina Molinari in rehearsal for squared dancer

Photo by © Simon Gentry

Everyone has a hobby. Mine: arts gossip. So when I heard that The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and Hope Stone Dance were dating, I had to check it out for myself. So on came the hat, sunglasses, backpack, water, spy equipment and other provisions for the 1/10 of a mile trek from my house to The Met studios. The things I do for dance.

I get there and what do I see? Members of one company sitting on the laps of the other company. Bingo.

Then I find out, the very scene I just witnessed is the beginning of squared dancer, the namesake work of a joint evening of the same name performed by The Met and Hope Stone on Friday and Saturday at Wortham Theater Center at 8 p.m. In addition to Jane Weiner's world premiere, squared dancer, the evening also includes work by Robbie Moore, Erin Reck and Suzi Taylor.

Usually, when I do stories about collaboration I interview one director (Weiner), asking, "So, how is going?", then the other director (Marlana Doyle), "Really, how is it going?" Then I'll find a dancer to dish out the real dirt. Here, I don't need a single soul to tell me a thing, it's all in the dance: Two terrific companies, one choreographer, 24 of the city's best contemporary dancers, one outstanding musician, all making art together.

In the corner, electric violinist Marc Hennessey, who also goes by the curious name "To All My Dear Friends", is making gorgeous sounds. There's a hint of bluegrass in his music, much like the hint of square dancing in Weiner's piece. Hennessey harks from Ashville, where they actually square dance.

Now, I know next to nothing about actual American square dancing, so I'm not entirely sure I would recognize a do-si-do if I saw one, but this is what I do see: Dancers making way for each other, letting others pass before taking the stage, fast, aggressive and athletic movements without collisions, men lifting women, women lifting men, men lifting men, group lifts where several dancers take charge of sending one dancer airborne, perfect unison, oceans of smiling, laughing and all round fun having.

Everyone appears to be listening, even the boss, Weiner, to the dancers.

Pedestrian movement

The piece lays out how it works in life. We take turns in the center. With two long benches creating a right angle on the side and back of the stage, the dancers enter and exit the dancing area from the bench. Sometimes, it's our time to watch, other times, it's our time to shine.

There's a whole second dance happening on the bench, as they make room for each other, console an exiting dancer or just groove along with those dancing on stage at the moment. There's one passage when a dancer ends up crawling back to the bench. We've all been there. He is welcomed home with love and acceptance from his benchmates.

The movement is culled from what we like to call "pedestrian movement" in the modern dance biz, which means there's lots of running, hopping, skipping, leaping and turning. But honestly, I've yet to see a pedestrain anywhere move with this much finesse. Every now and then a dancer will break out in spectacular attitude turn, reminding us that these are no ordinary square dancers.

I t's all in the dance: Two terrific companies, one choreographer, 24 of the city's best contemporary dancers, one outstanding musician, all making art together.

It's rare that we see such a large and diverse group in motion anywhere in Houston. They are black, white, blonde, Latino, Asian, straight, gay, married, single, some are from red states, blue states, and some from those decision challenged states. Several are aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers. Some are from faraway places like Japan, Colombia and California. At least one is a mother. One looks like he could have played football, but now he dances like a dream. It's like watching the world dance.

After a divisive election season we are hungry for civility. I feel nourished by watching these dancers soar through space. Dance, a team sport, models getting on with one another so well. Weiner's particular niche as a choreographer is showing exactly how we build and sustain community.

Some of you play fantasy football, I play fantasy arts. In my fake scenario I bring members of Congress and other elected officials to see this dance, because sometimes you just need to see for yourself what getting along really looks like. "Watch, follow, then lead," I would tell them. "It's all in the dance."

Get with getting along in squared dancer performed by The Houston Met and Hope Stone.

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Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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