Screening This Month at the Wex: 'How to Dance in Ohio'

Among life's varied chapters, none swing so wildly between exhilarating zeniths and crushing defeats as the teen years. Even seemingly routine interactions-something as simple as a school dance-can be rigged with social booby traps. "How to Dance in Ohio," Alexandra Shiva's touching new feature-length documentary (which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and is airing on HBO on Oct. 26) explores how these already sharp highs and anxious lows are further amplified in the lives of three Columbus young women with autism as they prepare for a spring formal.

Staggeringly intimate and equal parts hopeful, humorous and heart-wrenching, "How to Dance in Ohio" invites viewers to dance in the shoes of those who wrestle with connecting their internal world to the one that surrounds and often disorients them. As the women face their fears and engage with the perils and joys of meaningful social connection, they clear the path toward more manageable struggles and meaningful lives as young adults.

Don't miss your chance to see this memorable film before it airs on HBO; the Wexner Center for the Arts will screen "How to Dance in Ohio" on Oct. 8, followed by a conversation with the filmmakers and some of its local subjects. howtodanceinohio.com