David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin are the gracious hosts of Soaking WET, an evening of dance in the charming West End Theater. How proud they must be to present such a diverse collection of choreographic works that complement each other so well. Each piece has its own personality, its own intricacies, and is precise in communicating through every detail. Like the West End Theater itself, this event is unpretentious and full of character.

Program A opens with the quick paced and intriguingly repetitious Better to be Looking at It Than to be Looking for It, in which Sean Curran’s choreography invites us to look at the experience of performers. Pannagendra Sayana, choreographed by Malini Srinivasan, is a classical Indian dance with an ancient text recreated and retold to show Srinivasan’s personal investment in Indian history and culture. Following is another of Curran’s works, Duet Event; in this enthralling duet the dancers rarely touch, but there exists an energy and enduring strength in the connection between them. Lastly, Daniel Holt’s Crusoe blows us away with a striking opening image and continual contortions that require grand choreographic attention.

Program B is a one-hour long work, Bored House Guests, choreographed and performed by Sara Hook and Paul Matteson. Wearing preppy clothing such as a polo shirt for Maddeson and a v-neck sweater vest for Hook, the two present themselves with sarcastic poise and pomp. They are the hosts and we seem to be the bored house guests, unentertained for a while until we start to see their awkwardness in attempts to entertain. We follow through the evening where the proper and superficial gradually turn real and we get glimpses into the lives of two people struggling to find excitement, not in the party, but rather in their relationship through the party. They are distant, cold, and sexually frustrated. We laugh at their expense when humorous moments and anticlimactic events are accompanied at times by drum rolls with “tada!” finishes. When at first, you don't know what to think about the odd movements of what I gather to be a married couple, Hook and Matteson allow you to gradually discover the anxieties of monotony and monogamy.

Performances of Soaking WET continues through October 5. For more information and tickets visit https://www.thebanggroup.com/