The Battle of Verdun in World War 1 epitomizes the horrors of military conflict. By October 1916, despite months of bitter fighting, hardly any ground has been gained by either side of the war. Relentless artillery bombardment has reduced forests to tangled piles of wood, smouldering in the autumn rain. Some 700,000 soldiers have died in this battle alone, many of their bodies still rotting in the trenches. Some have deserted their comrades, others are injured, or traumatized by shell shock.
Exactly 102 years later, Rules of Engagement (Version 1) is a performance-lecture and speculative reenactment of the battle procedure for a defense mission. Choreographer, performer and infantry commander Daniel Kok (Singapore/Berlin) issues the operational orders to the remaining soldiers of Bravo Company under his charge and prepares his troop for a final showdown in this seemingly never-ending bloodshed.
Bravo Company is being tasked to defend SECTOR NIETZSCHE. The enemy has been pushed back momentarily but is reorganizing to launch yet another attack. We will hold back the advancing enemy, keep them from taking our city and from destroying our shared values.
