THE THREADS PROJECT #1 “UNIVERSAL DIALOGUES”

Buglisi Dance Theatre at Chelsea Factory

The Threads Project #1 “Universal Dialogues” (World Premiere)

Buglisi Dance Theatre, Artistic Director Jacqulyn Buglisi

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 7:30PM

Thursday, June 23, 2022 7:30PM, followed by reception for Gala ticket holders

60 minutes, no intermission

Special offer: 20% discount off $40/$30 tickets with code “FAN”

Jacqulyn Buglisi collaborates with eight diverse choreographers—Alexander Anderson, Jennifer Archibald, Sidra Bell, PeiJu Chien-Pott, Daniel Fetecua, Loni Landon, Jesse Obremski, Blakeley White-McGuire—on her newest exploration, a multi-layered world that turns to the poets for truths. Buglisi believes that there is a gravitational awakening as our beautiful planet and societal order are unravelling. A time to thread new stories of courage and hope.

Captivating and timely, with lighting/set design by the award-winning Jack Mehler and costumes by FIT costume designer-on-the-rise Lauren Starobin, the dance draws inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights... in a spirit of brotherhood.” Each choreographer weaves their unique poetic voices, expressing and revealing the strengths and vulnerabilities of what makes us human.

As Rilke wrote, “let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going.”

Production Credits:
Artistic Director/Choreographer | Jacqulyn Buglisi

Artistic Associate | Terese Capucilli 

Artistic Collaborator | Blakeley White-McGuire

Collaborating Choreographers | Alexander Anderson, Jennifer Archibald, Sidra Bell, PeiJu Chien-Pott, Daniel Fetecua, Loni Landon, Jesse Obremski, Blakeley White-McGuire  

Music Soundscape Editor | John K. Stone

Lighting/Set Designer | Jack Mehler

Projection Designer | Joey Moro 

Costume Designer | Lauren Starobin

Production Stage Manager | Jacqueline Reid

Dancers | Blakeley White-McGuire, Ben Schultz, Lauren Jaeger, Jessica Sgambelluri, Ashley Merker, Greta Campo, Aoi Sato, Rayan Lecurieux-Durival, Sierra Sanders, Zachary Jeppsen, Kate Reyes, Esteban Santamaria, Gabrielle Willis, Isabella Pagano, Jai Perez; Understudy: Cristina Barretta; Apprentices: Emily Aslin, YuChin Tseng


About Buglisi Dance Theatre:
The award-winning Buglisi Dance Theatre (BDT) is acclaimed for multi-cultural dances on the human condition that expose social and environmental injustices and reveal the heroic spirit, strengths and vulnerabilities of humanity. Founded in 1993 by Artistic Director Jacqulyn Buglisi, Terese Capucilli, Christine Dakin and Donlin Foreman, former principal dancers of the Martha Graham Dance Company, BDT is honored to celebrate its 29th NYC season at Chelsea Factory. The company has held seasons at The Joyce Theater, New York Live Arts, Ailey Citigroup Theater, and the LMCC/River to River Festival, and tours across the U.S. including Jacob’s Pillow, the Kennedy Center, Kaatsbaan, Vail International Dance Festival; and abroad to Melbourne Festival, Australia, Prague International Dance Festival, Czech Republic, Mexico, Israel, and Italy. BDT performs regularly in support of social causes, most recently for the Zen Center for Contemplative Care, Career Transition for Dancers, Dancers Responding to AIDS, and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. BDT builds the legacy of American culture through its interactive educational programs and residencies in public schools and universities. In partnership with Lincoln Center, BDT presents the annual Table of Silence Project 9/11, a free performance ritual for peace on the Josie Robertson Plaza reaching over four million viewers via live stream in 235 countries/territories.

Jacqulyn Buglisi, Artistic Director/Choreographer/Educator/Advocate:
In her five-decade career, Bessie Award Honoree Jacqulyn Buglisi has made an indelible impact on the field of dance. Using literature, poetry, and heroic archetypes, Buglisi crafts socially-relevant, multi-layered dance works that reveal the visceral strengths, humor and exquisite vulnerabilities of the individual. She co-founded BDT in 1993 following an illustrious career as a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Buglisi’s repertoire of more than 100 ballets is archived in the Jerome Robbins Dance Collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and includes commissions for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Richmond Ballet, The Joyce Theater, The Juilliard School’s Emerging Modern Masters, and the Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells, London, and New York City Center. Interdisciplinary, multi-cultural collaboration is core to Buglisi’s creative process, featuring such groundbreaking artists as composers Daniel Bernard Roumain, Paola Prestini, Jeff Beal; spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph; environmental artist Jacobo Borges, projection designer Wendall Harrington, and producer/videographer Nel Shelby. A master teacher of Graham technique for 50 years, Buglisi is Chair of the Modern Department at the Ailey/Fordham BFA program, served on the faculty of Juilliard and the Martha Graham School, and has held residencies and workshops at Yale, SUNY Purchase, Chautauqua Institution, UC, Santa Barbara, Marymount Manhattan College, and Steps on Broadway. Recipient of National Endowment for the Arts choreographer fellowships and grants, Buglisi has been featured on the cover of Dance Teacher magazine, in articles for Dance Spirit, Dance Magazine, and as an Arts & Leisure feature in The New York Times, among others. Buglisi is further distinguished for her visionary mission to create community through the Table of Silence Project 9/11, an annual performance ritual for peace at Lincoln Center streamed around the world that harnesses the collective breath in pursuit of compassion and global unity.

The Threads Project #1 “Universal Dialogues” is made possible through the generous support of the Jody and John Arnhold | Arnhold Foundation, the Harkness Foundation for Dance, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. 

Health and Safety Protocols:
Chelsea Factory will be implementing the following procedures to help ensure the health and safety of our patrons, staff, and artists:

• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

• Masks worn at all times inside Chelsea Factory

Click here for our full Health and Safety Protocols.