9/11 TABLE OF SILENCE PROJECT Returns for 7th Year

Artistic Director Jacqulyn Buglisi and Buglisi Dance Theatre are honored to be welcomed back by Lincoln Center for a 7th annual presentation of the transcendent "9/11 Table of Silence Project," a public performance tribute to 9/11 and prayer for peace and healing, conceived and choreographed by Jacqulyn Buglisi. The tribute will take place Monday September 11, beginning at 8:15 AM and concluding precisely at 8:46 AM, the moment when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. Buglisi was inspired to create the 9/11 Table of Silence by Italian visual artist Rossella Vasta's sculptural installation of 100 ceramic plates that represent a banquet table uniting humanity. Given the unrelenting and tragic acts of terror and violence that continue in the world, "9/11 Table of Silence" remains as relevant and timely today as when it was first performed seven years ago at Lincoln Center.

In partnership with Dance/NYC and The September Concert, Buglisi Dance Theatre brings together 100+ dancers, selected from major dance companies and professional institutions including The Ailey School, Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Juilliard School, Steps on Broadway, among many others. Moving to the minimal plaintive cries of the singers, echoes of the flute and conch, and the ritualistic beat of the tympani - a metaphor for the heartbeat - the dancers ascend onto the Josie Robertson Plaza forming patterns of concentric circles to create a Peace labyrinth while encircling the Revson Fountain, symbolizing eternity, purity, and the continuous life cycle. This sacred landscape becomes filled with the transcendent energy of the Mandala, connecting dancers and viewers to the healing rituals of the natural world. At precisely 8:46 AM, the dancers will turn their wrists with open palms and extend their arms to the sky for one minute, evoking the simple gesture of universal peace. Spectators are invited to join in this ritual.

Photo by Terri Gold