2020 Bessie Award Special Citation Honoree Jacqulyn Buglisi for the Table of Silence Project
2022 Juilliard President's Medal presented to Jacqulyn Buglisi by President Damian Woetzel
DANCERS
Terese Capucilli
TERESE CAPUCILLI (Associate Founder/Principal Dancer) prominent BDT collaborator since 1991, has premiered numerous works, among them, Buglisi's signature piece, Threshold, in 1992, Runes of the Heart, Bare to the Wall, Frida, Suspended Women, Requiem, Caravaggio Meets Hopper, Letters of Love, and the solo, Against All Odds, an 11-minute tour de force on Sarah Bernhardt. Ms. Capucilli, has a 26 year history with the Martha Graham Dance Company from Principal Dancer to Artistic Director (with Christine Dakin) and Artistic Director Laureate, seeing the organization and its dancers through the rebirth of the company. Renowned for her performances of the classic roles originally performed by Ms. Graham and those created for her, including The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring, she was partnered by Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov in Graham works, shared the stage with Kathleen Turner and Claire Bloom, and had roles created for her by Twyla Tharp and Robert Wilson. Twice a recipient from the Princess Grace Foundation, USA, she was honored with the Dance Magazine Award (2001), the Presidential Distinguished Alumni Award from Purchase College and serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School. Photo (c) Lisa Levart
Christine Dakin
Christine Dakin (Associate Founder/ Dancer with BDT) collaborated with Buglisi, Capucilli and Foreman in the creation of Runes of the Heart, Frida, Requiem, Sand, Mean Ole World, and has narrated Acapelorus and Letters of Love. She is Artistic Director Laureate of the Martha Graham Dance Company, and since 1976 known for performances of Graham’s own roles and roles created for her by Graham, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson and Martha Clarke. She is honored to have received a “Bessie” and the Dance Magazine Award. Her teaching includes The Juilliard School, Harvard Visiting Lecturer and Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Supporting her teaching and choreography, were a Fulbright, Rockefeller US Mexico Fund for Culture, ArtsLink, and the USIA. Dakin teaches at the Neighborhood Playhouse, the Ailey School, and in Mexico with companies in Colima, Oaxaca and Queretaro. Her film, La Voz del Cuerpo/The Body Speaks, an international collaboration of dancers and musicians, will premiere this spring. Photo (c) J. Deane
Kevin Predmore
Kevin Predmore (Principal Dancer) holds a Master’s from SUNY Purchase, is a founding member of BDT and has been instrumental in the creation of many of their dances. He has performed nationally and internationally with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Pearl Lang Dance Theater, and Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre. He has worked with Sophie Maslow, Stuart Hodes, Moses Pendleton, Daniel Nagrin, and Max Luna III. With Virginie Mécène, Kevin co-produced Profiles, an evening of solos and duets at the Sylvia & Danny Kaye Playhouse, and Offering, An Evening of Dance, in Cobe and Iroshima in Japan. He is currently a faculty member and student adviser at The Ailey School and the Martha Graham School. Photo (c) Nan Melville
Virginie Mécène
VIRGINIE MÉCÈNE (Principal Dancer), former Principal Dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, joined BDT in 1994, originating roles in Ms.Buglisi's Requiem and Suspended Women. She was appointed Artistic Director of Graham II and Director of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in 2007. She served as a Lecturer at Barnard College and teaches at the Martha Graham School, guest teacher at the Ailey School, and abroad. She has set Graham's works on Universities and companies including Harvard Ballet Company, Les Ballets de Lorraine, Temple University and others. She taught and choreographed for Opera-Theatre de Metz, France, Joffrey Midwest Workshop, Graham II and others. She also serves as the President of The Emergency Fund for Student Dancers, EFSD. Photo (c) Onno de Jong
Helen Hansen French
Helen Hansen French, received her BFA from The Juilliard School in 2001. Upon graduating she was invited to join Buglisi Dance Theatre where she is currently a principal dancer and rehearsal assistant. In addition to BDT’s annual New York City seasons she has performed at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Chautauqua Dance Festival, Vail International Dance Festival, Rishon LeZion International Festival in Israel, and the Oriente Occidente Festival in Rovereto, Italy. Mrs. Hansen French has been instrumental in restaging BDT’s works at Marymount Manhattan College, The Alvin/Ailey Fordham B.F.A. program, George Mason University, and the University of California at Long Beach. Mrs. Hansen French has been a member of the dance faculties at The Juilliard School, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and St. Petersburg College. Currently Mrs. Hansen French is on faculty at George Mason University.
Photo (c) Thang Duo
Lauren Jaeger
Lauren Jaeger is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance Performance. She first performed Requiem while attending MMC and upon graduation, was invited to join Buglisi Dance Theatre where she had the honor of performing this beautiful piece in Rovereto, Italy and several other venues. Lauren plays a key role in organizing, rehearsing and participating in Buglisi's Table of Silence Project, which takes place annually at Lincoln Centre on 9/11. In addition to BDT, Lauren is a Principal Dancer and Teaching Artist for Ballet Ambassadors and a member of ACB Dance. She has also performed with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company and with James Robey Dance (formerly Bare Bones Dance Project) in Ridgefield, CT. Currently she teaches for the School at Peridance, The Steffi Nossen School of Dance, Greenwich Dance Studio and the Manhattan Ballet School. Photo (c) Jaqi Medlock
So Young An
So Young An, a native of South Korea, joined the Buglisi Dance Theatre in 2008, and is member of Martha Graham Dance Company. She has danced with the Korean National Ballet Company and Seoul Performing Arts Company. Ms. An is the recipient of the International Arts Award and the Grand Prize at the Korea National Ballet Grand Prix. She has also performed works by Yuri Grigorovich, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Mats Ek, Patricia Ruanne, Samantha Dunster and Lar Lubovitch. With BDT, Ms. An performs featured roles in Ms. Buglisi’s Born Forever and This is Forever, televised on CUNY.TV and premiered at The Joyce Theater.
Stephanie Van Dooren-Eshkenazi
Ms. Van Dooren is a native from The Netherlands and received her dance training at the Dutch National Ballet Academy and at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance on full scholarship.
Ms. Van Dooren recently served as Associate Choreographer and danced the roles of Eliza and Topsy for King & I at Opera North. She has also danced with Graham II, ACB Dance, Nimbus Dance Works and appeared in works of Charles Weidman, Pearl Lang and Mary Anthony. She joined BDT in 2010 as an apprentice and appeared in Sand, Blue Cathedral, Interplay No. 9-1 and Letters of Love on Ripped Paper. Photo (c) Tomaas
Ari Mayzick
Ari hails from NYC. He began his training at the age of 11 at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance on full scholarship. At the age of 14, he was asked to join the second company and joined the main company at 21. He also received full scholarships at the School of American Ballet and Joffrey Ballet School. . Ari has danced with The Pascal Rioult Dance Theater, The Pearl Lang Dance Theater, Les Ballets De Monte Carlo, Les Ballets Grandiva, Scapino Ballet and Danceworks Rotterdam (Holland), Buglisi Dance Company, The Metropolitan Opera, and The Washington Opera as a Guest Soloist, to name a few. Ari also danced Twyla Tharp's ballets (Junk Duet) and (Sinatra Suite) on Norwegian Cruise Lines. Ari’s been in movies, music videos, TV-Series, commercials, and worked as a print and runway model. Ari thanks his mother for all of her love and support throughout the years. Photo (c) Paul B. Goode
Anne O'Donnell
Anne O’Donnell (Dancer) is a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. She attended the Jacob's Pillow 2010 Contemporary Dance Program, was a member touring with the Ailey II in 2011-12, has appeared as a YAP at The Glimmerglass Opera Festival and has attended the 2014 Springboard Danse Montreal. Ms O’Donnell, first performed in the 2011 Joyce Theater Season with Buglisi Dance Theatre.
Photo (c) Paul B. Goode
Jessica Higgins
Jessica Higgins (Dancer) A native of North Carolina, Jessica received her early dance training at Raleigh School of Ballet. She is a graduate of Wright State University with a BFA in Dance, while performing with Dayton Ballet. She also has trained with Phildanco and danced with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II, Verb Ballets, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theatre, Battleworks, Covenant Ballet Theatre, Forces of Nature, Ballet Noir, Neville Dance Theatre and the Berlin Wall Project. She is a certified Pulates instructor. Jessica has been featured in Buglisi's Suspended Women at the Joyce Theater, Moss 1 at NYLA and NY City Center and The Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center and assisted Ms. Buglisi in staging the Moss Variation ballets at UCSB and Marymount Manhattan College.
Jessica Sgambelluri
Jessica Sgambelluri holds a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College, where she graduated in 2014. Upon graduating, she joined Graham 2 and earned the title of the Pearl Lang Award recipient. She then danced for TED Talks Live, Odyssey Dance Theater, Caterina Rago Dance Company, and in 2017 joined Buglisi Dance Theatre. In 2019, Jessica joined Limón Dance Company, and later was a dancer in the production of The Metropolitan Opera’s “Der Fliegende Hollander”. Jessica worked as a rehearsal assistant during BDT’s residencies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Yale, and the annual Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center and performs featured roles in Requiem, Moss Anthology, and The Threads Project#1: Universal Dialogues.
Ashley Merker
Ashley Merker (Dancer) was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She began her formal training at Purchase College, SUNY where she graduated in 2017. Following she was invited by Ms. Buglisi to join Buglisi Dance Theatre, performing Requiem at the Hatlen Theater, Santa Barbara. While in school she performed works by Kimberly Bartosik, Aszure Barton, Martha Graham, Doug Varone and Trisha Brown and had the opportunity to study dance abroad for four months in Perth, Australia.
Greta Campo
Greta Campo began her dance training in her native Milan at the Carcano Theater. In NYC she completed the Professional and Teacher Training Program at the Martha Graham School; there she first joint Graham II and then performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company in their 2012 New York Season and also traveled nationally and internationally with them. Greta was named to Artistic Director of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in 2022. She joined Buglisi Dance Theatre in 2019 dancing featured roles in Moss Anthology: Variation#5, The Threads Project#1: Universal Dialogues at Chelsea Factory, and The Table of Silence Project.
Aoi Sato
Aoi Sato began her ballet training at Liscombe International Ballet School in Japan. She received a scholarship from Alvin Ailey School where she performed Memoria with the Ailey Company directed by Ronni Favors. Aoi joined Graham 2 company in 2017, later on she joined Martha Graham Dance Company. She has also worked with Dance Spotlight, Nai-Ni Chen, among others. She is a faculty member at the Martha Graham School and the University of Hartford Dance Division. Aoi joined BDT in 2019, dancing in such works at Moss Anthology: Variation #5 and Table of Silence Project.
Rayan Lecurieux-Durival
Rayan Lecurieux-Durival hails from French Guyana, where he trained at the Conservatoire de Guyane EPCC, among others before relocating to Paris in 2016 where he joined the Institut de Formation Rick Odums. He has worked with choreographers: Matthew Rushing, Freddie Moore, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Brice Mousset, Troy Powell, Elisa Clark, Francesca Harper, Shay Bland, and Faustine Lavie. In 2018 he was selected for The Ailey School’s Summer Dance Intensive, where he has had the honor of performing with the first company, as well as with the “Ailey Students Performing Group”. Rayan joined BDT in 2021.
Kate Reyes
Kate Reyes is an alumna of Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS and Marymount Manhattan College where she graduated with a BFA in Dance. Additionally, Ms. Reyes has trained at The Martha Graham School, The Taylor School, MOVE(NYC), and Manhattan Youth Ballet. Upon graduating college, Ms. Reyes joined the Graham 2 company and in the Fall of 2021 joined the Martha Graham Dance Company as an apprentice. Ms. Reyes joined BDT in 2021, performing in the Reimagined Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center and in a featured role in The Threads Project #1: “Universal Dialogues” at Chelsea Factory.
Esteban Santamaria
Esteban Santamaria, from Colón, Panamá, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in dance from the “Universidad de Panamá” and from “The Ailey School”. Esteban is a former company member of the “Ballet Nacional de Panamá” and joined the Graham 2 company in 2020 where he performed roles from Martha Graham’s repertoire, Dark Meadow, Appalachian Spring, and Acts of Light. Esteban joined BDT in 2021.
Sierra Christine Sanders
Sierra Christine Sanders born in Montclair, NJ has studied Modern and West African dance with Karen Love’s USAAMA, a pre-professional company. As a graduate from New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Youth Artists Institute, Sierra later received her B.F.A in Dance from Montclair State University. Under Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts Intensives, Sierra went into dance professionally for Philadanco’s 2nd company, D2 and later studied at the Martha Graham School as a member of Graham 2. She joined Buglisi Dance Theatre in 2021.
Gabrielle Willis
Gabrielle Willis graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance where she performed works by Twyla Tharp, Pascal Rioult, and Jessica Lang. She helped to facilitate the Stand Up Speak Out project with Bedford Hills, the largest maximum-security prison for women in New York State. Since graduating, Gabrielle has performed with MoveOpolis!, Graham 2 and also curated two benefit performances in an effort to raise money and awareness for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Gabrielle joined BDT in 2021, performing in the Reimagined Table of Silence Project 9/11 at Lincoln Center, The Threads Project#1: “Universal Dialogues”, and assisting in BDT’s creative incubation labs.
Ane Arrieta
Ane Arrieta, a dual citizen of Spain and the US, trained at the Newport Academy of Ballet and received a BFA in Dance Performance and Ballet Pedagogy from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford where she performed works by José Limón, Martha Graham, George Balanchine and Paul Taylor and worked with contemporary choreographers Bryan Arias and Francesca Harper. She is a member of Graham 2, and joined BDT in 2023.
Zachary Jeppsen
Zachary Jeppsen, a native of Southern Wisconsin, is a fourth-year student at The Juilliard School. He has had the pleasure of performing pieces by Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Donald McKayle, Paul Taylor, Ohad Naharin, and many other choreographers. Before Juilliard, Zachary attended The Chicago Academy of the Arts where he studied under Randy Duncan and Patrick Simoniello. He has also attended summer programs including Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Arts Umbrella. This is Zachary’s second season with BDT.
Isabella Pagano
Isabella Pagano is a NYC based dancer who is currently studying at the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. Her passion and love for movement was first cultivated by the teachers of National Dance Institute from grades 4-8. From there, she began her first years of professional training at LaGuardia High School, during which she also studied at the teens program at the Graham School. She has performed works by Darshan Singh Bhuller, Bob Fosse, Blakeley White-McGuire, Martha Graham, MICHIYAYA, Joseph Hernandez, and danced in Jacqulyn Buglisi’s Reimagined Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center.
Jai Perez
Jai Perez is a New York based artist who started his dance journey at the National Dance Institute where he cultivated a love for dance. He continued his training at the Alvin Ailey Junior Division. Jai is an incoming Senior at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase where he will receive his BFA in dance. He has performed with Dow-Dance and performed works by Ronald K. Brown, Earl Mosley, Doug Varone and Martha Graham.
GUEST ARTISTS
Blakeley White-McGuire
Blakeley White-McGuire, MFAIA, is a critically acclaimed, award winning performer, most notably as Principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company (2002 - 2016, 2017), and performs as Guest Artist with Buglisi Dance Theatre since 2005. She is a creative artist, lecturer and educator who embodies the spirit and lineage of contemporary modern dance. Her work is presented internationally and has been produced by The Museum of Arts and Design, Jacob’s Pillow’s INSIDE/ OUT and the Women in Dance Leadership conference. She has served as a teacher of Graham technique and improvisation at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and is currently on faculty at Purchase College and the American Dance Festival.
Martine van Hamel
MARTINE VAN HAMEL(Guest Artist) leapt to widespread public acclaim by winning the Gold medal and Prix de Varna at the International Ballet Competition of 1966. She went on to stardom with the National Ballet of Canada and as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. From 1992 to 1997, she performed with Nederlands Dans Theater III. She continues to perform character roles with ABT and is pleased to work again with Jacqulyn Buglisi. She is a co-founder of Kaatsbaan International Dance Center.
Photo (c) Cynthia Delconte
Lloyd Knight
Lloyd Knight was born in England, reared in Miami, and trained at the Miami Conservatory of Ballet. He has a BFA from the New World School of the Arts, and received scholarships to The Ailey School, Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Martha Graham School. Mr. Knight joined the Martha Graham Company in 2005, and was promoted to principal in 2014. Dance Magazine named him as one of the “Top 25 Dancers to Watch” in 2010. Mr. Knight has performed with Buglisi Dance Theatre in the annual Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center, and in featured roles inVirginie Mécène’s UNUM at Kaatsbaan, and Jacqulyn Buglisi's Sand and Bare to the Wall Suite.
Ben Schultz
Ben Schultz first performed with Buglisi Dance Theatre in 2017 in Threshold at NY City Center Studio 5. He danced as a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company for 13 years and has danced such lead roles as King Hades in Clytemnestra and Jason in Cave of the Heart. He premiered Martha Graham’s work in Russia performing Errand into the Maze with prima ballerina Diana Vishneva at the Mariinsky Theatre. Earlier dance credits include the Tony Award® winning Blast!, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, and Hannah Kahn Contemporary Dance. Mr. Schultz is on faculty at The Ailey School and has served as faculty / resident choreographer for the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. He has performed featured roles with BDT in such works as UNUM (choreog. Virginie Mécène), The Threads Project#1: “Universal Dialogues” at Chelsea Factory, and the Reimagined Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center.
Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch
Carrie is formerly a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Carrie has worked with other prominent artists/collaborators such as 360 Dance, GloATL, Aszure Barton,
Larry Kegwin, Josie Moseley, and Lar Lubovitch in the “Lamentation Variations”, Martha Clarke, Pascal
Rioult, Philadanco, Siti Company, and Robert Wilson’s “Snow on the Mesa.”
Katarzyna Skarpetowska
Skarpetowska is a native of Warsaw, Poland. She is an alumna of the NYC High School of Performing Arts and received a BFA from The Juilliard School in May 1999 under Artistic Director Benjamin Harkarvy. In 1992, at age 15, she was the youngest cast member of the Broadway show, METRO, directed and choreographed by Janusz Jozefowicz. She was a member of The Parsons Dance Company from 1999 until 2006, The Battleworks Dance Company from 2006 until 2008 and since 2007 she has been working for The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Kate also appears as a guest artist with The Buglisi Dance Theater since 2009. She has had the privilege of setting the works of Lar Lubovitch, David Parsons and Robert Battle in the United States and abroad. In addition, her own choreography has been performed by various universities, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Hubbard Street 2 and the Parsons Dance Company. In 2007, she was one of two featured dancers during the Glimmerglass Opera Festival and in 2008 she toured Italy with WHY BE EXTRAORDINARY IF YOU CAN BE YOURSELF, a show by Daniel Ezralow. In 2009, she co-designed and co-directed Romeo and Juliet for The Gunter Theater in Greenville, SC. Skarpetowska is also a freelance teacher holding workshops throughout the world. She resides in New York City.
Charles Askegard
Charles Askegard has had a distinguished performing career, which began with the American Ballet Theatre, where he performed as a soloist, and continued with the New York City Ballet as a Principal Dancer. At the New York City Ballet, he had the great opportunity to work with Jerome Robbins and performed in his ballets “In Memory Of…”, “The Four Seasons”, “Ives, Songs”, “In the Night”, “Les Noces”, and “Glass Pieces”. He also performed lead roles in many of George Balanchine’s ballets, including “Theme and Variations”, “Diamonds”, “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #2”, “Stars and Stripes”, “Apollo”, “Serenade”, “The Four Temperaments”, “Scotch Symphony”, “Cortege Hongrois”, “Swan Lake”, and “Firebird”. He created ballets with Peter Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, Eliot Feld, Robert La Fosse, and Helgi Tomasson. Mr. Askegard has been a guest artist performing in companies around the world including, The Dutch National Ballet, Bavarian State Opera, The National Ballet of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Philippine Ballet Theatre, and has been a guest of many dance festivals worldwide.
Alumni of BDT
Junichi Fukuda
Junichi Fukuda (Principal Dancer) has been a member of Ballet Tech/NY, Oakland Ballet, Smuin Ballet/SF, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, MEI-BE WHATever, and NY2 Dance. Junichi is currently a member of Buglisi Dance Theatre, New York Baroque Dance Company, and the Peridance Ensemble where he has performed numerous principal roles. He has toured throughout the US as well as internationally in Italy, Germany, Israel, France and Japan. Junichi recently appeared in the dance film “Finite & Infinite Games” produced by Thisiswater Productions.
On leave.
Natasha Diamond-Walker
Natasha Diamond-Walker (Dancer) first performed with BDT in 2007 at The Joyce Theater in Atom Heart’s Club Suite No. 1. A graduate of the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. program, she has performed in the works of Lester Horton, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Francesca Harper, and Nacho Duato. Natasha is a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Juan Rodriguez
Juan Antonio Rodriguez received his training at The Ailey School under the direction of Denise Jefferson where he was recipient of The Donna Wood Award. He furthered his training at The Juilliard School, graduating with a BFA under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. In addition to Buglisi Dance Theatre, Mr. Rodriguez has dance professionally with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and has guest and freelanced with many others. As a choreographer his works have been presented at The Juilliard Theater, The Juilliard Drama Department, The Clark Studio, Alice Tully Hall, and The Joyce Theater.
Jason Jordan
JASON JORDAN (Principal Dancer) began his dance career at the tender age of seven when he won five dollars for being the best dancer at a Brooklyn house party. He has since danced with Feld Ballets/NY, Ballet Tech, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, Rubberbandance, Cedar Lake, Peridance Ensemble and since 2005, with BDT appearing in featured roles in Sand, Rain, and Interplay No. 9-1. Photo (c) Jubal Battisti
Marie Zvosec
Marie Zvosec is a graduate of the School of Ohio Dance Theatre, the North Carolina School of the Arts and The Juilliard School (B.F.A.). Celebrating her 7th season with BDT, she originated roles in The Conversation, Acapelorus, Caravaggio Meets Hopper, Atom’s Hearts Club Suite and Interplay. She performs with TAKE Dance and Bennyroyce Dance Productions and has also been seen with Douglas Dunn and Dancers, Hilary Easton + Company, Doug Elkins and Friends, Regina Nejman & Company, Mary Seidman and Dancers, Michael Mao Dance, DOORKNOB Company, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in works by Dou Dou Huang and Mark Morris and with Ohio Dance Theatre, where she is a frequent guest choreographer.
On leave.
Darion Smith
Originally from California, Smith is now based in New York City. Since graduating from the Folkwang Hochshule in Essen, Germany, Darion has been a performing member with professional dance companies in New York City, throughout the states and abroad such as The Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet and Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance. As a teacher of dance, Smith has been a guest lecturer at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College and taught ballet and jazz dance in New York City and on tour for Dance Theatre of Harlem's educational and community outreach programs.
On leave.
Abdiel Jacobsen
Abdiel Jacobsen, a native of Côte d'Ivoire, has danced with BDT in the Jacqulyn Buglisi’s Table of Silence Project 9/11 at Lincoln Center, in BDT seasons at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, and most recently in the trio UNUM by Virginie Mécène. As a Principal Dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company he has performed many lead roles in Graham’s iconic repertory, including Errand into the Maze with prima ballerina Diana Vishneva. As well, he performs works by Nacho Duato, Robert Wilson, Lar Lubovitch, SonyaTayeh, Luca Veggetti, Andonis Foniadakis, Michelle Dorrance, Larry Keigwin, Doug Varone, Richard Move, and Sidi Larson Cherkaoui. Mr. Jacobsen received a BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts. He is also a Professional Competitive Ballroom and Latin Dance Champion and instructor. As well, Jacobsen is a Fulbright Specialist of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning.