Jonah Bokaer brings "Rules of the Game" to UCLA's Royce Hall. / Photo courtesy of the artist
The Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA brings high-profile dance and theater productions to its campus. This week, for only one performance on Friday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m., Royce Hall will host the West Coast premiere of Jonah Bokaer’s collaborative project, “Rules of the Game.”
Working with eight dancers, scenic designer Daniel Arsham and Grammy Award-winner Pharrell Williams, promotional materials state that Bokaer “straddles the line between art, architecture and performance.” At one time the youngest member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, this artist continues his interest in multidisciplinary work with this production. Inspired by the same titled play written by absurdist Italian playwright, Luigi Pirandello, this new 40-minute exploration of mixed art forms had its world premiere in Dallas last spring, accompanied by that city’s acclaimed symphony.
Also on the program are two pieces created by Bokaer and Arsham in 2010 and 2011: “Recess” and “Why Patterns.” The latter quartet also includes hundreds of ping pong balls bouncing everywhere, from the ceiling, at the sides of the stage and along the floor in their own uncontrollable ways. His aim is to transform notions of how the public views and understands dance.
Bokaer is the recipient of several national and international awards for his creations, and his company performs in prestigious theaters and museums across the globe. How fortunate for us that he and they will be on the West Side on Friday, after having completed a pair of activities for young artists in Los Angeles earlier in the week.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
LOCATION: UCLA Campus, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, LA 90095
TICKETS: $15-$49
INFORMATION: https://cap.ucla.edu/calendar/details/jonah_bokaer_2017