“Breaking The Rules” Annual Gala with Jonah Bokaer Choreography

For Immediate Release
Contact: Abby Zeng, Marketing & Publicity
pr@jonahbokaer.net
+1-718-418-4405

Headline & Tag Line:
“BREAKING THE RULES” Annual Gala
Reaches New Heights In The Firmament of New York City Social Events:
Benefitting Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation’s Nonprofit Programs, 
Honoring Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, Austin Scarlett, & Machine Dazzle.

Press Release for NYSD:
New York, NY, September 1st, 2023—Choreographer Jonah Bokaer, the Board of Directors, major celebrities, philanthropists, artists, entertainers, and at the nonprofit’s Producers Circle are pleased to announce the 21st “Breaking The Rules” Annual Gala, which will take place on Monday, October 30th from 6:00pm-9:30pm at The Robert, top floor of the Museum Of Arts & Design. As a annual, highly anticipated event in New York City’s charity and social calendar, “Breaking The Rules” Annual Gala is the major generator to benefit the programs of Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation, and the event has grown this year to evolve a high-profile honoree structure, involving curator Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe; designer Austin Scarlett; and artist Machine Dazzle, all of whom will be present among the 150 attendees of New York City’s society patrons, in a spectacular evening overlooking Central Park, with social photography by BFA Images.

A Celebratory Gala Unlike Any Other: 21st Anniversary
The Gala Dinner will include a one-time only Tribute Performances by Jonah Bokaer Choreography and collaborators, in a program themed to honor Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, Austin Scarlett, and Machine Dazzle – all of whom have a prolific programming history with the organization’s public programs. Confirmed guests from New York society include Barbara Tober, Michèle Gerber Klein, Charles Renfro and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Helen Yee Little, the Lithgow Family, Frederick W. Beinecke, JiaJia Fei, and Elizabeth Seacord Feldman.
There will also be an Anniversary Silent Auction of visual artworks to benefit the organization, including remarkable and rare holdings of the foundation’s art collection – with a strong focus towards Works On paper. Each selected piece entered the collection under unique personal and professional circumstances spanning the twenty one years since the company was founded in 2002. The evening’s festivities will wrap-up with a lively cocktail party featuring RECESS Young Patrons, a booming group of young philanthropists co-chaired by Ernesto Estrella Cózar, and Matthew Minot-Scheuermann featuring performances, signature cocktails, and other surprises, on the eve of Halloween, promising astonishing pageantry, with such a group of Honorees.

21 Years of Choreography and Entrepreneurship
In 2002, Jonah Bokaer Choreography established a studio space located in East Williamsburg called “Chez Bushwick”. Since its inception, the young choreographer had a clear goal: to provide a platform of expression dedicated to the next generation of artists in New York City and in Brooklyn. Thanks to the considerable funding from The New York State Council for the Arts, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and The Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of New York, “Chez Bushwick” Studio became a hub for the Brooklyn Community and the most affordable rehearsal space in New York at $8 per hour rate. Today the venue remains very active and locally engaged in a dynamic Brooklyn-based community of artists, offering educational programs, residencies, opportunities to present work, and occasions to network with philanthropists.
These and other venues of Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation are now flourishing at both spaces, and the organization’s programs provide with large spaces as well as opportunities to exhibit and present work, and collaborate with other artists. All artists come from diverse backgrounds and fields, with a focus on dance and visual art.

Gala Ticketing
Tickets for the entire evening including dinner start at $1250, with tables ranging from $10,000 to $20,000, and can be purchased by contacting Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation at: +1(718) 418-4405 or at the following secure links, operated by the organization in SalesForce by clicking here.

THE ORGANIZATION’S SPONSORS & PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT

Government Support
Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Grants For Arts Projects, NEA Dance, as well as NYSCA, the DCLA, and the Small Business Administration of America. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov

Foundations Support
Special Thanks to the Prospect Hill Foundation, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, and specifically the Sakana Foundation which has generously supported Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation, and previous collaborations between Jonah Bokaer & Charles Renfro, DS+R.

Individual Support
Special Thanks to the Producers Circle of the Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation. The organization’s 800+ supporters including of “Breaking The Rules’ Annual Gala can be found here with full crediting:
https://www.chezbushwick.net/support

Corporate Support
Dell Projectors is an ongoing partner provider of audio visual equipment to DS+R. Jonah Bokaer Choreography is supported by IBM Employee Matches, and by Douglas Elliman North Brooklyn for its rehearsal space initiatives in New York City.

Co-Presenters & Partners 
2023 – 2024
Season Partners for Jonah Bokaer Choreography:
Diller Scofidio + Renfro;
Development Support: Stanford University, Mohr Prize;
UNC Chapel Hill, DisTIL Prize from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation;
Chez Bushwick, rehearsal space partner in New York City.

About Jonah Bokaer Choreography (Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation, Inc.):
Jonah Bokaer Choreography has cultivated a new form of Choreography merged with Visual Art & Design. American & Middle Eastern, the company has deeply interwoven the international career of an exhibiting museum artist; with a touring multi-ethnic dance company; with a nonprofit practice that has succeeded in delivering 4 arts facilities for younger artists. JBC has authored 67 original works, produced in 35 nations, 27 of the United States, and 294 cities – including 41 Museum Exhibitions worldwide. The impact of earned, contributed, and granted funds between 2002-Present have realized 4 Artspaces, 14+ diverse jobs, $11M+ in revenue, and 1 City-Wide Festival. Bokaer is Tunisian-American, is an LGBTQIA leader, and is currently exhibiting and touring with 8 international dancers. The company is among the few to tour to the Middle East, MENA, MENASA, & Israeli regions equally: before, during, and after the regional events of 2011. Openly gay since the 1980s, Bokaer’s innovations consistently receive prizes, philanthropic support, and humanitarian acknowledgment internationally, with increasing program alignment and recognition from the global south. www.jonahbokaer.net