Forget the Paddle

Not yet 30, Jonah Bokaer has already been dubbed a “contemporary dance renaissance man.” In the US premiere of his piece Why Patterns, the young phenom has turned to an unlikely source for inspiration: the ping-pong ball.

In the performance, which will take place at famed Berkshire dance festival Jacob’s Pillow, a single ping-pong ball multiplies into thousands — ten thousand, to be exact. The cascading balls flood the stage and, as a mass, take on a personality of their own. Their erratic trajectories introduce an element of surprise to the piece, keeping dancers quite literally on their toes.

Originally commissioned by Dance Works Rotterdam,Why Patterns is a collaboration between Bokaer and Snarkitecture, an architectural design firm based in Brooklyn. For this work, Bokaer has also collaborated with former Marc Jacobs designer Richard Chai, who designed the costumes for the four dancers in the cast.

Bokaer’s inspiration for this innovative performance is the relationship between the human body and the dynamic forces of modern technology. While Jacob’s Pillow (which takes its name from both the famed Biblical tale — Jacob’s ladder — and a quirky nickname for the many boulders on the property — pillows) is far removed from the urban media bustle, it’s still a fitting site for genre-crossing choreography. The festival is considered the mecca of modern dance. In fact, Jacob’s Pillow was recently presented with the National Medal of the Arts, the highest arts honor bestowed by the US government. Game on!

Performances at Jacob’s Pillow (358 George Carter Road in Becket, Massachusetts) run August 3rd to August 6th at 8:15 p.m. and from August 6th through August 7th at 2:15 p.m.

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