The Table of Silence Project 9/11 is an annual, free public performance ritual and call to action for peace conceived and choreographed by Jacqulyn Buglisi in 2011 to commemorate the loss of life and honor the bravery of all individuals affected by acts of terror, war and oppression of freedom. Artistic collaborators for this year’s program include Buglisi Dance Theatre Co-Founder/Principal Dancer Terese Capucilli, Composer/Violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, Conch/Flute John Ragusa, and Film/Livestream Producer Nel Shelby and Nel Shelby Productions.
The company will present the original full-scale version of the work with elements of the reimagined version as more than 150 dancers slowly ascend onto Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center to the sound of a conch shell’s call to action. Daniel Bernard Roumain performs a prologue on electric violin. Moving to the plaintive strains of the flute, the heartbeat of bass drums, trumpet, bells and the cries of a chorus, the dancers form patterns of three concentric circles around the iconic Revson Fountain while repeating 12 symbolic ritualistic gestures ten times to create a peace labyrinth. This sacred landscape becomes filled with the transcendent energy of the Mandala, connecting dancers and viewers to the healing rituals of the natural world. Hidden in the pocket of the dancers’ robe is a ceramic plate sculpture, a metaphor for a gathering of humanity at the banquet table for peace. At 8:46 AM, the dancers turn their wrists with open palms and extend their arms to the sky for 60 seconds in a gesture of universal peace.
Presented in partnership with Buglisi Dance Theatre and Lincoln Center as A Project of the Arnhold Dance Innovation Fund, and through community partnerships with Dance/NYC, Chelsea Factory, The Juilliard School, Gibney Dance Center, Martha Graham Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Steps on Broadway, among others, the performance ritual is streamed live around the world, reaching international viewership to date by over 4.4 million people and growing in all 50 states and 235 countries/territories.
There are two ways to access this free event:
1. General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up!
2. The event will also be streamed live for free on this web page.
Table of Silence Project 9/11
Lincoln Center
Monday, September 11, 2023
8:10 am
Free Event
