Jonah Bokaer made his world debut of “The Rebel (and other myths),” on Feb. 22, a 40-minute performances with David Norsworthy. In the theater at the SCAD Museum of Art, Bokaer danced to a mix by Soundwalk Collective called “Medea Mixdown.” It was all inspired by the texts Albert Camus created for the Workers’ Theater.
“For me this performance is a way to acknowledge another North African artist and author, whose conscience and convictions led him to an eventual break with surrealism, and more towards socially motivated themes,” Bokaer said. “I hope that the performance could be a way to reach out to him, across time, while carefully regarding his work.”
As the audience took their seats, Bokaer stood still on stage with his back to the crowd. At 7:30 p.m. the lights dimmed and the theater went black. The clock projected onto the wall behind the stage started counting down and the performance began.
As it counted down from 20, the lights transitioned from a deep blue to a soft yellow and Bokaer’s movements changed. He started the night off in deep concentration and balance, moving from one pose to another slowly with with precision and determination. Every motion reflected the mood and emotion, Bokaer tried to convey through his body language. As the music picked up, so did his dance. All of his movements worked with the music and were able to create an emotional response from the audience.
“There were very intense and emotionally evocative moments and moments when you felt more level,” said Andrew Florez Chaliotis, a third-year performing arts student. “And moments that felt really dark.”
A radio broadcast played and the music died down. Enter Norsworthy. Together the two dancers showed the course of a relationship through their performance. As they moved across the stage, lights would flicker on and off with each step.
The highest point of tension was when the clocked finished counting down to zero. The sound of a static radio interrupted the music, as Norsworthy appeared to die. He lay motionless on stage.
“It was really striking,” said Kat Lucas, a SCAD creative initiatives coordinator. “Just the tension of it all.”
There were several moments when Norsworthy and Bokaer interacted with each other in eloquent ways. From the moments when they spun around each other and mimicked one another across the stage to the last seconds counting back up to 20 minutes, when Bokaer and Norsworthy sat face to face.
“I hope that the students of SCAD can attend the performance, reflect on it, and see the body differently afterwards — as well as the images that the body is capable of evoking,” said Bokaer.
The performance seemed to affect each person differently, but most seemed to enjoy it.
“It was absolutely incredible,” said Chaliotis.
This was just one of the many shows offered during deFINE ART, the university’s fifth annual contemporary art showcase.
“You have to stay informed,” said Chaliotis. “For a performing arts major, it’s good to know what I should aspire to.”
