Jonah Bokaer Announces Full Year Of New Commisions, Performances In US And Europe

Jonah Bokaer's fascination with the fusion of architecture, technology and choreography is front and center this year, in the United States and Internationally. Consider his 2010 commissioned world premieres: a choreography and architecture commission from Dance Works Rotterdam, Holland; the opening of Pavilion Dance's new building in Bournemouth, England; and Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is also the school's first Artist in Residence. Bokaer, who along with John Jasperse, created CPR - Center for Performance Research, was also instrumental in the architectural design of the performing space and facilities. Greenbelt, which houses CPR, recently became the first New York State L.E.E.D!-NC Gold certified mixed-use structure.*

DANCE WORKS ROTTERDAM, FEBRUARY:
Working together with the Brooklyn-based firm Snarkitecture, Bokaer created "Why Patterns" for Dance Works Rotterdam, which premiered on February 28, 2010. The 30-minute quartet uses a décor comprised of 5,000 ping-pong balls, whose nightly release creates new visual patterns as they cascade onto the stage space from above. Their dramatically changing configurations provoke questions of perception similar to those suggested in the Morton Feldman's score of the same title, which accompanies the work.

The stage and costume design are by Snarkitecture. The lighting is by Jonah Bokaer, Kees van Leeuwen and Snarkitecture. The dance will be seen in 12 venues across Holland this spring. New York venues are in negotiation.

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY'S FIRST ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, SEPTEMBER:
Invited to initiate the Georgia Institute of Technology's ARTech residency and performance program, and representing the university's first Artist in Residence, Bokaer will receive four, week-long residencies at Georgia Tech beginning in September. During the four weeks, extended over one academic year, Bokaer will have full access to the University's three motion capture studios in order to further his experiments with digital media and choreography. He will conduct classes for students in Architecture, Applied Physiology, Computer Engineering, and Digital Music; create and engage in community outreach activities; and design special workshops. The residency also includes the creation of a new work, which will premiere at the Ferst Center for the Arts in Atlanta in April 2011.

THE ANCHISES PROJECT, OCTOBER: Bokaer was commissioned by Dance Southwest and Pavilion Dance in Bournemouth, England to choreograph a work to celebrate the opening of Pavilion Dance in October, 2010. Once again, collaborating with technology to push the frontiers of dance, Bokaer's use of motion-capture technology figures into the décor and scenography of the dance. Created in collaboration with the New York architecture firm Harrison Atelier, the work explores concepts of partnering on both structural and thematic levels. Tangentially related to the story of Aeneas and Anchises, the abstracted narrative underlying the work calls on tensions between parent/child and explorer/exploiter. The visual design and dramaturgy is by Harrison Atelier (USA); the lighting by Aaron Copp (USA); the musical score by Erased Tapes (UK); and the costumes by Pleasure Principle (UK). In addition to creating a new work in for the Inauguration of the new Pavilion, Bokaer is designing a series of exhibitions, classes and symposia that engage the Bournemouth community.

Jonah Bokaer is a 28-year old, Brooklyn-based choreographer, media artist, artist space developer, and social entrepreneur. His work, which integrates choreography with digital media, is often the result of cross-disciplinary collaborations in the United States and abroad.

The youngest dancer to be recruited by Merce Cunningham, Bokaer performed with Cunningham for eight years, during which time he pursued parallel degrees in Visual & Media Studies at The New School (2003-2007). He also studied at Parsons School of Design, and NYU Performance Studies. Bokaer's ongoing explorations into digital media and 3D animation are largely selftaught. His multi-disciplinary approach to choreography, which explores the potential of the human body in relation to contemporary technologies, has stimulated research by Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the National Academy of Sciences.

In New York City, Bokaer's choreography has been presented at Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, Dixon Place, La MaMa ETC, P.S. 122, Symphony Space, The Skirball Center at NYU, the Abrons Art Center, and The New Museum. Outside the U.S. his work has been seen at the ISB (Bangkok); Naxos Bobine, Studio Théâtre de Vitry, La Générale, and Art/Dan/Thé (Paris); Les Subsistances (Lyon); La Compagnie (Marseille); La Ferme Du Buisson (Marne-la-Vallée); De Singel (Belgium); International Tanzmesse NRW (Germany); PSi (Copenhagen); Kunsthalle St. Gallen (Switzerland); and the Attakalari Bangalore (India). Upcoming engagements include The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts (Miami), the Stadsschouwburg (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), the FestiVal De Marseille (France), the Epidaurus Festival in Athens (National Theater of Greece), and a two-year development residency in computer science and applied physiology at Georgia Institute of Technology.

In 2008-2009 Bokaer became the first dance artist to be appointed a Young Leader of the French American Foundation. Under the leadership of Bokaer, a group of artists and choreographers formed Chez Bushwick in 2002, forming an adventurous arts organization that has significantly impacted a new generation of dance artists, choreographers and performers in the United States and beyond. Bokaer, in collaboration with John Jasperse/Thin Man Dance, founded CPR - Center for Performance Research, a 4,000 square foot arts facility in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which provides affordable rehearsal and performance space, innovative arts programming, education and pedagogical engagement with artists in New York City and abroad. CPR is the first L.E.E.D. Gold building in Brooklyn.*

In 2007 Bokaer began a series of collaborations with theatrical icon Robert Wilson. He served as choreographer for Wilson's FAUST (Teatr Wielki, Polish National Opera, 2008) and AÏDA (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Italy, 2009), both of which continue in national repertory. Bokaer and Wilson also collaborated on KOOL: Dancing in My Mind (Guggenhiem Museum, New York City, 2009) and FRONTERAS (Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Spain, 2009). In August, 2010, they will embark on Solidarnós, commissioned by the European Union for the Gdansk Shipyards (Poland).

*L.E.E.D. stands for the Leadership in Energy Efficient design, and is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings, as approved by the United States Green Building Council.

JONAH BOKAER
NEW CHOREOGRAPHY 2010
DATE CITY VENUE/EVENT Program
May 11 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotterdamse Schouwburg - Why Patterns
May 20 - Den Haag, Netherlands - Dr. Anton Philipszaal Lucent Danstheater - Why Patterns
May 21 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Stadsschouwburg Utrecht - Why Patterns
May 28 & 29  - Berlin, Germany - Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) - KOOL w/ Robert Wilson
May 29 - Apeldoorn, Netherlands - Schouwburg en Congrescentrum Orpheus - Why Patterns
May 30 - Den Helder, Netherlands - Schouwburg De Kampanje - Why Patterns
June 8 - Tarrytown, NY - Nelson D. Rockefeller Pocantico Estate - REPLICA
June 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Institute of Contemporary Art  - REPLICA
July 1 - Marseille, France - FestiVal De Marseille - THREE CASES OF AMNESIA
July 2 & 3 - Marseille, France - FestiVal De Marseille - REPLICA
July 7-9 - Athens, Greece - Epidaurus Festival - REPLICA
August 29 - Gdansk, Poland - Gdanks Shipyards - ‘Solidarnos’ w/ Robert Wilson
October 4-6 - Bournemouth, UK - Pavilion Dance - The Anchises Project
October 8 - Bristol, UK - Arnolfini - The Anchises Project
October 24 & 25 - New York, NY - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - FILTER w/ Anthony Goicolea
November 5 & 6 - Miami, FL - Adrienne Arsht Center for The Performing Arts - REPLICA
November 13 - Miami, FL - Museum of Contemporary Art - REPLICA
November 17-21 - New York, NY - Abrons Arts Center - The Anchises Project