About the Work

They Were Once is a dance-theatre work blending autobiographical stories and revisions of history and future through a genderqueer lens. The performance explores the tension between prescribed identities and self-acceptance, examining how relationships shift as we embrace our true selves.

They Were Once is a project about freedom, expression, possibility, portals, and growth. This story offers hope, joy, and play that we hope continues to radiate beyond the theatre.

The piece begins with a scene of family; mother, father, and child prepare for a meal together. The nuance of their dynamic flashes briefly - love and care met with control and coldness. Then we follow this child - personified by a group of genderqueer, nonbinary, and trans performers - through scenes of discovery, nightmares, attempts to conform and people please, transformation, letting go, and ultimately acceptance and joy, arriving at their fullest self. By the end of the piece, the parental figures have experienced their own quiet transformation and show potential for change. All characters come back together for a dinner party, but unlike at the opening meal, they now sit at a communal table with plenty of chairs and an abundance of food. The audience is invited to also come as you are.

Directed by Jacqui M Dugal
In collaboration with performers Desirée Amadeo, Tor Breen, Maxx Love, Miles Nelson, Fernando Moya Delgado.
Sound Design & Music Production by Jamie Amadruto
Drag Consulting with Maxx Love
Costumes & Visuals by EMay

More about the collaborators and the work at Mud-Movement.com

They Were Once will be presented on Saturday, April 12th at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 13th at 2:00pm at Flushing Town Hall. This production is part of Mare Nostrum Element's Emerging Choreographer Series 2025. Ticket Link Here!

Photo from They Were Once (solo at Queensboro Dance festival, 2019) by Josef Pinlac.

Why this project? Why now?

Creation is essential to the human experience, and we believe that we must create. Not creating art is a greater risk to both ourselves and society. Art is a transformative force, and we need it now more than ever. Queerness, especially genderqueerness beyond the binary, is hard for mainstream society to grasp, and political and spiritual forces worldwide continue to marginalize us. This work aims to show that life beyond the binary is natural, normal, necessary, and thriving. Queer concepts are deeply tied to freedom, potential, and possibility, and the piece serves as a reminder that our freedom is precious and the possibilities for our future are endless.

They Were Once is a project about freedom, expression, possibility, portals, and growth. This story offers hope, joy, and play that we hope continues to radiate beyond the theatre.

What Your Funds Will Support

Funds will go toward artist fees for dancers, performance consultants, our sound designer, costume designer, camera operator and film editor, in addition to production elements like set pieces, props, and costume materials. Our total budget is over $16,000. We have received an MNE Emerging Choreographer Series grant for $7,300 and are seeking an additional $9,000 to bring our project into fruition in the most fruitful and equitable way for both our artists’ dignity and for the art’s integrity.

We wholeheartedly believe that artists deserve fair and living wages for their work. Dance wages have historically been below living wage and even below the minimum wage at times. Our aim is to pay artists fairly for their work, time, and effort. Your tax-deductible contributions help ensure that each collaborator is paid fairly for their work.

We have been making artwork with a DIY mindset and a DIY budget for years but there are some elements that are only possible with proper funding and those are the elements that take not only the art, but an artist's career to the next level. To bring this project to life in its fullest and more true form, certain costs cannot be ignored. You can help ensure that this project is completed in its ideal form because art and audiences deserve it. We promise to put on one hell of a show!

Funds in Context

$20 covers one hour of rehearsal pay for one performer
$80 covers one day of studio space rental for one rehearsal
$250 covers our marketing material fees
$750 covers sound design, composition, and editing fees
$1000 covers our costumes, props, and set materials
$1,500 covers our filming team fees and equipment
$2,000 covers rehearsal + performance fees for one performer

About Jacqui M Dugal

Photo by Alice Chacon Photography courtesy of Mare Nostrum Elements

Jacqui M Dugal (they/them) is a NYC based artist who believes creating is essential to the human experience and dance is necessary for our personal and collective healing. From South Florida they moved to NYC in 2015 where they perform, choreograph, collaborate, stage-manage, produce, explore, and stay curious. Jacqui also practices pottery; bartering ceramic goods and exploring movement in a tactile form. They live in lower Manhattan with partner Eden & dog Osita.

Jacqui received their BFA in Dance Performance with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of South Florida. Their choreographic work has been showcased locally and internationally including at the COCO International Dance Festival (Trinidad), Asheville Fringe Festival (North Carolina), Queensboro Dance Festival (NYC), NuVu Dance Festival (NYC) and more. Jacqui premiered their first full-length group work, under, at The International Human Rights Arts Festival 2017. They were selected for Mare Nostrum Elements Emerging Choreographer Series 2016, 2017, & 2025, and received a New Work grant from Queen Council on the Arts in 2017 & 2019. Jacqui’s performance credits include Company XIV, Von Howard Project, De Funes Dance, Roschman Dance, Michiyaya, and Impact Movement. Learn more at Mud-Movement.com

Thank you for your consideration and for your support. We are extremely grateful. Thank you!

About Mare Nostrum Elements

Mare Nostrum Elements (MNE) is a non-profit arts organization based in Queens, NY. Each year, MNE produces the Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS), an intensive crash-course in self-producing; offering rehearsal space, compensation, career development consultations, and professional mentorship to selected choreographers.

In 2024, MNE started a new program to deepen our support for the NYC dance community and uplift our Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS) alumni. ECS 2025 marks the second year of this program, supporting alumni choreographers by pairing them with presenting venues and providing them resources to produce 30-40 minutes of work in a split-bill format. Jacqui's work was selected to be a part of ECS 2025 at Flushing Town Hall.

Mare Nostrum Elements, Inc. is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

They Were Once by Jacqui M Dugal for ECS 2025!

Presented by Mare Nostrum Elements' Emerging Choreographer Series 2025