September 11, 2012 - A year ago this morning, my beautiful friend Kokyat and I stood together on the terrace of Avery Fisher Hall as Jacqulyn Buglisi's stately and radiant Table of Silence was performed by more than a hundred dancers on the Lincoln Center Plaza. It was with a sharp pang of sadness that I watched this year's rendering of the piece, since Kokyat and I have moved apart. My memories of his incredibly generous friendship are ever-present since there are so many places in our City that I associate with him. I am constantly reminded of his face, his voice, and the depth of our mutual affection. Here is a link to his photos from Table of Silence 2011.
This year's presentation of Table of Silence was somewhat compromised by the fact that 9/11 fell during Fashion Week. A huge tower stood next to the fountain, marring the beauty of the dancework. And the hordes of the fashionable trudged determinedly to their destination, high heels clomping as they chatted, cell-phoned and chugged their lattes. They seemed to have no idea what day it was or that the ceremony taking place on the Plaza was a memorial service; or perhaps they simply didn't care. Could not Lincoln Center have managed these two events more diligently?
At any rate, Table of Silence was again a moving experience; I'm sure no one in the world will ever forget where they were and what they were doing on that fateful morning. The weather today was crystal clear, just as it was on that day eleven years ago.
Several dancers I know were participating in the ritual; as each one filed by I was able to catch an image of them with my Leica - yet another of Kokyat's many gifts to me - and here are some of them:
Sophie Bromberg
Bethany Lange
Riyo Mito
Lindsay Poulis
I have made a Facebook album with many more images from the performance. I don't know the woman in the above photo, but she was one of many captivating faces among the ranks of white-clad dancers.
As I was leaving the Plaza, I ran into Bill Cunningham, and we exchanged greetings. So, yet another link with Kokyat on this memory-ladened morning.
