Terese Capucilli

Director, Producer, Editor

Terese Capucilli, a driving force of the Martha Graham Dance Company from 1979 to 2005, as principal dancer, to artistic director and artistic director laureate, is renowned for her performances of Graham’s classic roles with a broad dramatic scope from the Virgin Mary to Medea. Heralded by The New York Times in 1984 as, "...the most powerful dramatic dancer of the decade", Capucilli is one in the last generation of dancers to be coached and directed by Graham herself. Roles created for her include The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring (1984) and Graham's final ballet Maple Leaf Rag (1991). On the Graham stage, she has been partnered by dance greats Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev, shared the staged with actresses Claire Bloom and Kathleen Turner and had roles created for her by Lucinda Childs, Robert Wilson and Twyla Tharp.

Since 1990, her collaboration as a associate founder and dance artist with Buglisi Dance Theatre continues to bring numerous works to the stage, including the yearly 9/11 Table of Silence Project at Lincoln Center with over 150 dancers and live-streamed throughout the world. 

Honors include a 2001 Dance Magazine Award, the Presidential Distinguished Alumni Award 2010 from Purchase College (BFA), The Fini International Lifetime Achievement Award (2017) and, as a three-time Princess Grace Foundation-USA award recipient, most recently received a Special Projects Grant for her documentary, Lawrence 'Reed' Hansen: The Sacrosanct Accompanist—a musical journey through Martha Graham's dance technique.  In 2017, she was awarded The John Erskine Faculty Prize from The Juilliard School, an award given to one faculty member per year, for the archiving of all unused footage of Mr. Hansen.

On the dance faculty at The Juilliard School, NYC since 1999, she continues to stage Graham's classic work for Juilliard’s Spring Dancers (Appalachian Spring 2008, Dark Meadow 2015, Rite of Spring 2018, Deep Song/Focus Festival 2022). 

Capucilli has served on the Arts Advisory Board for the Princess Grace Foundation—USA since 2017 and the Board of Directors of Buglisi Dance Theatre since 1994.

Capucilli is a Syracuse native currently living in NYC.

Nan Melville

Camera, Production Consultant

Ever fascinated by art and moving things and travel – Nan Melville enjoyed a stimulating career as Photographer & Videographer. She worked with the gamut from Princess Diana, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Mikhail Baryshnikov through talented 4-year-olds at Pre-College -- and the wonderful La Rosita restaurant and staff! 

Through clients - among them The Juilliard School, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The New York Times - she met and recorded an impressive array of outstanding artists of all kinds. On a New York Times assignment, she was introduced to Protima Bedi and her Classical Indian dance ensemble, Nrityagram. This led to trips to India – resulting in her documentary, NRITYAGRAM: For the Love of Dance – with the gifted Susan B. Ades as editor! (27 International Film Festivals and several awards for this documentary - and counting.)

In 1990 Nan was invited to the International Ballet Festival of Havana to photograph the Festival and Alicia Alonso for Dance Magazine. That sparked a great interest in Cuba – and the dance and music there. She made several subsequent visits to the Festival and for her solo photographic exhibition in Havana sponsored by the Cyprus Mission there (2015). At the time of her sudden passing in 2022, she was working on her documentary, Cuban Dance: Soul and Body. 

Nan did the camera work with Sasha Popov for Terese Capucilli’s film, Lawrence ‘Reed’ Hansen; The Sacrosanct Accompanist—a musical journey through Martha Graham's dance technique.and was instrumental throughout the filming as production consultant to the director.

Nan was born in South African and held a B.A. UED. (English and Speech & Drama) from Rhodes University. She taught high school there, directed plays for Amateur Dramatic Societies (EOAN Group) and was a house photographer for the Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal before moving to the US in 1985 where she was present in every corner of dance, theater and music for decades to come.

Aleksandr "Sasha" Popov

Camera, Associate Editor, Technical Consultant

Aleksandr “Sasha” Popov is a Live Streaming Engineer at Twitch and a founder PopovMedia. He produced promotional and documentary media in addition to Live Streaming events for such organizations as Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, The Metropolis Ensemble, Mack Avenue Records, Wiley Publishing Company, Breakthrough TV, Sing for Hope, Sidra Bell Dance and produced media for Jon Batiste Cecile McLorin Slavant, Aaron Diehl, Monty Alexander, among others. Sasha holds Master degrees from The Juilliard School, becoming a laureate of Spotlight Awards, Mravinsky Woodwind International and Toliati International competitions.

Susan B. Ades

Film Editor, Sound Editing, Color Correction

Since 2002, Susan Ades has been editor to award winning directors that include Douglas Keeve (Unzipped), Mirra Bank (The Last Dance), Lisa Ades (Miss America), Caytha Jentis (The Other F Word), Carole Hart, Hyonok Kim and many more.

In 2010, Susan cut her first dance film NRITYAGRAM: For the Love of Dance. Still one of her favorite films (and collaborations), the friendship with Photographer/Director Nan Melville opened her up to a new world of dance in film. She has since edited and collaborated on a number of dance films, working with world class dancers, choreographers and directors interested in sharing dance with a broader audience.

Susan is extremely proud to be a part of the important and beautiful 2017 feature documentary by Terese Capucilli (Faculty, The Juilliard School; Martha Graham Dance Company -1979-2005- Principal Dancer, Co-Artistic Director) Lawrence ‘Reed’ Hansen; The Sacrosanct Accompanist—a musical journey through Martha Graham's dance technique

Bill Randolph

Photography Production, Graphic Design, Artistic Advisor

Bill Randolph has been on stage, film and television for over forty years. He can be seen in Dressed to Kill, Switching Channels, Penn & Teller Get Killed and the horror classic Friday the 13th Part 2. Bill was Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and Randy Hastings in the Broadway production of Gemini. He was a series regular in Trauma Center and Comedy Zone and made guest appearances on such TV shows as Hill Street Blues and As the World Turns. Bill is also a member of the Actor's Studio. 

His involvement as a graphic artist has paralelled his experience as an actor. He has worked as a designer with Scholastic, Inc., Buglisi Dance Theatre, Steps on Broadway and for twenty years as the Special Sections Senior Designer at the New York Daily News.

Film Credits

(partial)

Produced and Directed by Terese Capucilli

Camera: Nan Melville, Aleksandr ‘Sasha’ Popov

Editors: Susan B. Ades, Terese Capucilli

Associate Editor: Aleksandr ‘Sasha’ Popov

Sound Editing: Susan B. Ades

Additional Audio: Dan Gengenbach

Mix and Mastering: Alexey Gorokholinskiy

Color Correction: Susan B. Ades, Jim Lazos

Production Consultant: Nan Melville

Consultant: Roberta Morris-Purdee

Technical Consultant: Aleksandr ‘Sasha’ Popov

Artistic Advisors: Jacqulyn Buglisi, Bill Randolph

Photography Production: Bill Randolph

Music

Lawrence Reed Hansen

Music in this film is improvised by Reed Hansen using original and

familiar theme variations captured in the spontaneity of the dance studio.

Filmed in single takes and without rehearsal.

Filmed at The Juilliard School

and

 The Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, NYC

This film was made possible through the generous support of

 The Princess Grace Foundation-USA

 Additional funding by Jody and John Arnhold

and

The John Erskine Faculty Prize, The Juilliard School

 Running time: 115 mins