“Table of Silence Project 9/11” ritual was performed for free at Lincoln Center in New York City on the morning of September 11, 2023.
On Monday (9/11) morning, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and Buglisi Dance Theatre presented “Table of Silence Project 9/11.” The project is an annual free public performance ritual for peace conceived and choreographed in 2011 by Jacqulyn Buglisi, artistic director of Buglisi Dance Theatre. The event honors the tragic loss of life on 9/11/2001 and contemplates the current crises facing humanity today. The free performance took place outdoors at Lincoln Center and was livestreamed. Composer and percussionist Paula Jeanine Bennett created the score, and artistic collaborators included Buglisi Dance Theatre Co-Founder/Principal Dancer Terese Capucilli, conch and flute player John Ragusa, trumpet player Pamela Fleming, and film/livestream producer Nel Shelby and Nel Shelby Productions. “Table of Silence Project 9/11” is created through community partnerships with Dance/NYC, Chelsea Factory, The Juilliard School, Gibney Dance Center, Martha Graham Center, Steps on Broadway, and others. Moving to music of flute, bass drums, trumpet, bells, and a chorus, more than 100 dancers formed concentric circles around the Revson Fountain that recall an ancient peace labyrinth while performing ritualistic gestures that evoke healing, peace, and harmony. The free livestream is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=565wVKD9NHE&t=816s.
