BMAC presents annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza

BRATTLEBORO — Veteran domino toppler and YouTube superstar Lily Hevesh returns to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center for the 12th annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 5:30 p.m.

Hevesh will be joined by fellow domino artists Nathan Heck, Shane O'Brien, and Chris Wright. Admission is free for children 8 and under, $3 for BMAC members, and $5 for all others. Doors open at 5 p.m.

BMAC's domino topplings began in 2008, when brothers Mike and Steve Perrucci traveled to Brattleboro to build a course created specifically for BMAC. The Perruccis returned to Brattleboro each of the next four years, creating bigger courses each time.

In 2011, they enlisted the help of other domino-toppling enthusiasts, who eventually took the helm after the Perruccis retired from domino duty. Now in its 12th year, BMAC's annual topple is the longest-running event of its type in the world.

Heck, Hevesh, O'Brien, and Wright will arrive in Brattleboro 48 hours ahead of the toppling to begin setting up the spectacle. The four will fill the floor of BMAC's Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Gallery with an elaborate pattern of dominoes.

Audience members will have a chance to guess how many dominoes make up the course; whoever comes the closest will get to start the entire chain reaction. The toppling itself will last about five minutes.

Hevesh, who works under the name Hevesh5, first joined the BMAC event in 2014 and has since launched a full-time domino career. She is one of the best known domino artists in the world, with over 750 million total YouTube views and 2.4 million subscribers.

Hevesh, O'Brien, and Heck worked with Will Smith on the feature film “Collateral Beauty.” Hevesh also worked with Katy Perry for the launch of her album “Witness.”

Her domino videos have been featured on NBC, FOX News, Nickelodeon, CNN, and CBS, and she has done commercial projects for Disney, Marvel, Ford, Honda, and LEGO.

Hevesh was not willing to reveal what the team has in mind for this year's domino design.

“It's a surprise,” she said in a news release. “What separates BMAC's domino event from a lot of others is that it's very free-form. It's a great opportunity for us to build in an awesome space and have complete creative control.”

“This event has attracted quite a following,” said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. “Every year, the Museum has been filled to capacity, with audience members squeezed around the perimeter of the main gallery. It's loads of fun, but also nerve-racking, since one false move could trigger the entire chain reaction."

To learn more, call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.

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