BWW Previews: TABLE OF SILENCE 9/11 Returns to Lincoln Center Today

"At this poignant moment in our history, I believe that art has the power to transcend boundaries and speak to the relevant issues of social justice in our time." Jacqulyn Buglisi

The Table of Silence Project 9/11 will return today to Lincoln Center at the Josie Robertson Plaza around the fountain. This free public ceremony for peace will commence at 8:15 and conclude at 8:46 AM, the moment when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

This is the fourth presentation of The Table of Silence Project 9/11, a ritual for peace, conceived and choreographed by Jacqulyn Buglisi in collaboration with Italian visual artist, Rossella Vasta. A moving meditation, it is the the human embodiment of Vasta's "Table of Silence" sculptural installation of 100 ceramic plates representing a symbolic banquet table uniting humanity.

The project was established on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. It has reached countless households via live stream across the United States and in 45 states and worldwide in 82 countries including Guatemala, New Zealand, Russia, Italy, Venezuela, South Africa, Vietnam, Israel, Egypt, and our troops in Afghanistan among many.

Led by Buglisi Dance Theatre, over 100 dancers have been selected to perform from major dance companies and schools that include The Juilliard School, The Ailey School, Dance Theater of Harlem, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance and many other groups of artists.

Moving to the ritualistic beat of the tympani, the minimal chant of the singers, the echoes the conch and the melody of the flute, the dancers ascend onto the Plaza forming patterns of concentric circles to create a peace labyrinth that culminates symbolically at 8:46 am and signifies eternity, purity and the continuous life cycle. This sacred landscape is filled with the transcendent energy of the Mandala, connecting dancers, musicians, and viewers to the healing rituals of the natural world.

Christine Dakin, known worldwide for her dancing career is also an Associate Founder and a dancer for Buglisi Dance Theater. She commented about the significance of being a part of this imporant event. On the Plaza on 9/11, the Table of Silence 9/11 is visually stunning, dancers connected, with music and voice that are elemental, on a scale that is vast but also personal. It is a challenge to hold ourselves together in the vast space, move as one body. At the intimate scale, the personal story of each dancer flows from how they make movement significant and how they connect with the other participants."

To support the Table of Silence 9/11, follow their Kickstarter campaign at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2146111355/2014-the-table-of-silence-project-9-11.

Photo Credit: Table of Silence 9/11