Jonah Bokaer on Rules Of The Game and Collaboration with Daniel Arsham

Choreographer Jonah Bokaer, born in 1981, unveiled his newest creation, Rules Of The Game, at the Howard Gilman Opera House within the Brooklyn Academy of Music, after its initial showing at the Guggenheim Museum in New York on October 31, 2016. This piece marks a ten-year partnership with artist Daniel Arsham and is inspired by Luigi Pirandello's Il giuoco delle parti. Featuring eight dancers, the performance includes an original score composed by Pharrell Williams and David Campbell, arranged by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, along with costumes designed by Stamp. This work is part of a triptych that also encompasses Bokaer's solo pieces RECESS (2010) and Why Patterns (2011), the latter involving four performers and 10,000 ping-pong balls, with a set designed by Snarkitecture, the firm co-founded by Arsham and Alex Mustonen. Bokaer’s choreography is shaped by visual arts, having worked with creators like Anthony McCall and Lynda Benglis. He was recognized as the 2016 Artist for the Parrish Art Museum Annual Platform, with his exhibition running until January 13, 2017. The duel between dancers James McGinn and Wendell Gray in Rules Of The Game alludes to a similar scene in Pirandello's work. Bokaer draws from the literary influences of Camus and Rimbaud, selecting Pirandello for its relevant political themes.