Jacqulyn Buglisi Stages TABLE OF SILENCE at University of California Santa Barbara on 5/23

Jacqulyn Buglisi is honored to stage her "Table of Silence" on 75 dance majors at the University of California, Santa Barbara, May 23 from 12 noon to 1 PM on the second anniversary of the Isla Vista tragedy, in which six UCSB students were killed. The commemoration will be an opportunity for the campus community to join together to honor the students lost, in a message of hope, peace and healing. Choreographer Buglisi and UCSB express their deep appreciation to John Arnhold, an alumnus of UCSB and major supporter of the arts, for making this moving event possible. UCSB musicians will accompany the dancers; the mantels and ceramic plates used in "Table of Silence", performed annually at New York's Lincoln Center since 2011, will be provided by the New York City-based Buglisi Dance Theatre. The commemoration will be streamed live at www.live.id.ucsb.edu

"We all have opportunities to perform dance that is beautiful, artistic, challenging, strange, but we rarely have the opportunity to perform dance with such a profound meaning in the larger scale of the world." - Christina McCarthy, Interim Chair/Director of Dance, UCSB Department of Theater and Dance. Moving to the minimal cries of the singers, echoes of the flute, and the ritualistic beat of the bass drums, the UCSB dancers led by Buglisi Dance Theatre will ascend onto Storke Plaza forming patterns of concentric circles to create a Peace labyrinth, symbolizing eternity, purity, and the continuous life cycle. This sacred landscape becomes filled with the transcendent energy of the Mandala. The dancers extend their arms to the sky for a minute of silence, evoking the simple gesture of universal peace. Spectators are invited to join in this ritual.

Jacqulyn Buglisi, former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, believes passionately that art can advance social justice by awakening our humanity and, indeed, in the Table of Silence, both performers and audiences experience the power of community through art. In the choreographer's words: "Today, as these courageous artists express their passion for peace, striking the earth with their heels...moving in meditative rhythms of the heartbeat...we behold a sacred landscape."

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio echoes this sentiment with his statement: "This public ceremony is broadcast to viewers around the world, using the power of movement to pay respect and show renewed commitment to building a brighter future." Originally conceived as a 9/11 performance tribute led annually since 2011 by Buglisi Dance Theatre on the Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center, "The Table of Silence" has a universal meaning and message, and has been performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe. The ceremony has been seen in London at the 2012 Global Summit; performed at Syracuse University in remembrance of the students who perished in Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie; by the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women; and in Cathedrals in Assisi and Perugia on the Day of Forgiveness through a Buglisi Dance Theatre partnership with the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

Sponsorship for the iconic Table of Silence ceramic plates, designed by Umbrian artist Rossella Vasta, is generously provided by Bizzirri Ceramic Factory in Citta di Castello, Italy. The mantels for the dancers are by Alessanjdro Gherardi, Citta di Castello - Perugia, Italy. The award-winning Buglisi Dance Theatre is acclaimed for its magnificent dancers, sublime theatricality and cutting-edge collaborations. Based in New York City, the company was founded in 1993 by Artistic Director Jacqulyn Buglisi, Terese Capucilli, Christine Dakin and Donlin Foreman, who performed together as Principal Dancers of the Martha Graham Dance Company. Using literature, poetry, and heroic archetypes, Buglisi crafts dances on the human condition which promote social justice and awareness of global issues. BDT performs worldwide including, in NYC at The Joyce Theater, New York Live Arts, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, the River to River Festival, and the Battery Dance Festival, on tour at the Kennedy Center, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Vail International Dance Festival, Dance St. Louis Spring to Dance Festival, The Kravis Center, and abroad to festivals in Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Israel, and Italy. BDT's repertoire of over 100 works is archived in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library, and is seen on the companies of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Richmond Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Ice Theatre of New York, among others. BDT inspires students through its programs in the NYC public schools, and university residencies and performances including University of California, Long Beach, George Mason University, Syracuse University, and SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Committed to empowering community through art, BDT embraces 150 + dancers in The 9/11 Table of Silence Project, a free, performance ritual for peace on the Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center and seen via livestream across all fifty states and 102 countries.

Upcoming Buglisi Dance Theatre Performances Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Tivoli, NY: June 4, 7:30pm & June 5, 2:30pm

NYC Home Season at The Ailey Citigroup Theater: Buglisi masterworks and a world premiere Tues-Thurs., June 7, 8:00pm; June 8, 9, 7:30pm Opening Night Gala honors Terese Capucilli with a performance of Martha Graham's Deep Song by Blakeley White-McGuire. All evenings feature a special performance of Lamentation by Christine Dakin; a World Premiere and BDT favorites including Buglisi's signature ballet Requiem; Sand; and Suite: Solos and Duets. www.buglisidance.org l www.tableofsilence.org

Photo: Helen Hansen French