Maida Withers Dance Construction Company  

MaidaWithers
Touring and Performances
Current Projects
   A Choreographer's Life
   Fare Well
   Russian Tour
   Thresholds Crossed
   Aurora/2001
Past Works
Media/Technology
Dance Films
Site Works
Int'l Improv Fest
Press/Reviews

Contact

Site Works

Architectural and environmental site events have been created locally and internationally by Maida Withers using scripting and scoring techniques since the 1960s with the recent adaptation of site specific video art documentation of inaccessible sites that become films or part of stage performances. Selection of events are listed here.

Utah Project - Four Corners Area of the Southwest and Coral Dunes, Utah (1990- 1996) (For video see Media/technology)
Experiment of living and dancing on four land sites in the Four Corners Area of the USA (Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona). Dancers often slept at the site due to extended travel time required. The residency produced a film (See http://www.maidadance.com/VideoGallery.html to view Tukuhnikivatz and an evening-length performance at Lincoln Center Out of Doors GREAT DANCE in the BAND SHELL (See http://www.maidadance.com/mediatechnology.html for Utah * Spirit Place * Sprit Planet * Tukuhnikivatz). The center image is based on a site specific residency at Coral Dunes State Park in Kanab, Utah, the birthplace of Maida Withers, that produced the film Sands Cycles (http://www.maidadance.com/Video Gallery.html).

LENIN - Lenin Museum, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia (2005)
Performance created in the historic Lenin Museum for the "Isadora" International Dance Festival; Maida Withers, Director; Public performance and television broadcast with 15 Russian and four American dancers; Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia.





Faces of the Fallen (2004)
Tribute to victims of war. Performed at the World War II Memorial, at the Lincoln Memorial, and in the Great Hall in Marvin Center, Washington, DC; Director, Maida Withers.

Solosphere Project on Solovki Island, Russia (site for the famous GULAG ) (2004) (For video see Video Gallery)
GULAG - ART ANGAR - A film was shot in the Art Angar Contemporary Center for the Arts. This building is famous for its place as an historic building created by the GULAG. Twenty such buildings were created, but this is the only such building to survive. For four years, this building served as the center for the annual Solosphere project which was organized annually to bring "life" to a beautiful island known as the death camp for many of Russia's finest. Maida Withers, Anthony Gongora, dancers; Audrey Chen, cellist. Film is available at http://www.maidadance.com/VideoGallery.htm.




Solosphere Project - Industrial Zone on Solovki Island, Russia (2004
Five site-specific events were created for the "Solosphere" Project on Solovki Island in the abandoned "Industrial Zone," in or near houses built by the GULAG, forced labor camp, and other religious and historic buildings associated with the 15th Century Solovetsky Monastery; collaboration with the Dance Construction Company and Russian and Finnish dance companies; sponsored by the ArtAngar Center for Contemporary Art. Maida Withers, Anthony Gongora, dancers; Audrey Chen, cellist. The inductrial zone project ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992.

DC International Improvisation Plus+ Festival - Dance, Music, Performance Art (1995 to present)
In 1995 Maida Withers founded the annual DC International Improvisation Plus Festival featuring dance events and improvisation along with new music and performance art. Dancers and musicians from Brazil, England, Germany, China, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and many other states participated often with the support of the various Embassies located in Washington, DC. Events were co-curated by Maida Withers, founder/director, Jim Levy, musician, Daniel Burkholder, Sharon Mansur, Cyrus Khambatta and Amanda Abrams for 14 years. (See http://www.improvfestival.com for more information). Photos below are from

"Dance In" - Art Museum of the Americas and the OAS Garden in Washington, DC - DC International Improvisation Festival (2001) Photos feature Sharon Mansur, Daniel Burkholder, Cyrus Khambatta, Heidi Rauch, Maida Withers, and community and GW dancers.

THIS SPACE OCCUPIED! - CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART (1998)
Corcoran Gallery of Art - throughout the premises.  Dancers and musicians from DC, NYC, England, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Tibet, and South Africa. Event curated by Maida Withers, director, and Jim Levy, musician; sponsored by the DC 4th International Improvisation Plus+ Festival.

Seeing JAZZ MOVE - SMITHSONIAN INTERNATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (1997)
Music and dance event in conjunction with the Seeing JAZZ exhibition. Dancers and musicians from DC, NYC, Netherlands, China.  Event curated by Maida Withers and Jim Levy, jazz musician; sponsored by DC 3rd International Dance Improvisation Plus+ Festival.

Hilda Thorpe Artists' Studio Event (1999)
Maida Withers collaborated with Hilda Thorpe on several projects using the arts works and materials of Hilda Thrope, noted American sculptor and painter. . These photos are from a performance in her gallery/studio in Alexandria, Virginia to celebrate her birthday. Performers: Giselle Ruzany, Maida Withers, Reggie Crump, Jon Modell.

Halda (a mound made of waste) - Bytom Poland International Dance Festival (1997) 
Slaski Teatre Tanca 1997 International Dance Conference and Festival in Bytom, Poland. Outdoor performance created with four Polish dancers, inspired by the environment (pollution/mining) of the Silesian region in Poland.  Performances in the Plaza, Bytom; Placu Sejmu Slaskiego, Katowice; the historic Kazimierz ul Szeroka, Krakow, Poland.




United Nation's Earth Summit (Eco '92), Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1992)
Brazil hosted Eco '92. Maida Withers Dance Construction Company participated with 100 International Artists for Ecology in Brasilia, Brazil for four weeks followed by two weeks in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. DCCo performed Rolling Thunder (including dancers from Brazil) and site events for the Museum of Modern Art Rock Garden and various events for Sugarloaf Mountain, in the parks and on Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches.

31st Festival de Inverno, Ouro Preto, Brazil (1992)
Dancers from throughout Brazil, under the direction of Maida Withers, create an event in the open court. Pittfalls performed in the UN designated historic theatre in Ouro Preto by DCCo. Audience members, at the microphone, told personal stories about falling down as dancers performed on stage.


Wet and Wonderful - National Plaza, Washington, DC (1983)
National Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC (between the White House and the Capitol) was the site for this work created by Maida Withers with with DCCo and community dancers. The work was created daily from 9am to 12 noon for fifteen days and then performed. People crosssing the plaza were incorporated into the event. the National Theatre near the Plaza was wrapped in plastic for renovation. We incorporated the plastic theme and created pre-historic animals and used the wind as it came from various directions.

Sunday Maneuvers - Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park, Washington, DC (1977)
Performance created as a political commentary on aspects of Roosevelts views (guns and roses) for a Sunday afternoon performance Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park, Washington, DC. Choreography, Maida Withers; stilts by Brook Andrews; musicians performing in the mote, John Bailey, director. Airplanes from National Airport cued movement choices.

Iwo Jima Memorial - U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, World War II - Washington, DC (1976)
Dancers celebrate one of Washington, DC's most important and dramatic monuments on a Sunday morning. Dancers frequently performed at various monuments and architectural locations without public announcement. The goal was to interact with found audiences in found locations for tourists and locals.





White Mansions - HOLY ROOD CEMETERY, Georgetown, Washington, DC (1975)
Performance constructed for Holy Rood Cemetery at dusk. Choreography and design, Maida Withers and DCCompany. White Mansion scenes were constructed for performance inside the Washington Project for the Arts and then adapted significantly to the Hold Rood Cemetery (Washington's second oldest cemetery). What fabric strung from tree to tree and around the tombstones was stolen between the Saturday night and Sunday night performances. White Mansions was based on prototype characters from the South.





White Mansions - Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC (1975)
Original performance presented at the Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) later adapted to the Holy Rood Cemetery (see above) by the original members of the Dance Construction Company: John Bailey, Brook Andrews, Betty Tittsworth, JoAnn Sellars, and Maida Withers. Maida served as an early member of the founding of the Washington Project for the Arts, an artist run performing and visual arts organization in Washington, DC

Bog Works - Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) (1975)
Performance in an environment of homemade loudspeakers and battery-operated lights/set hung on ropes. The audience sat in the center of the room and all dance activity took place in the periphery. Dancers were also lighting designers choosing to light various people and spaces with the battery operated lights.. Maida Withers and DCCompany; John Driscoll, composer and set. Premiere: Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC.

Put on the Music Let's Dance (early version) - Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) (1977)
Dancers wore original costumes from the 1930s as they told a story of ballroom dance for Hollywood film. Kay Sheppard was a central figure who was writing letters to her "love" who was away fighting a war.



Site Events - Washington Project for the Arts (WPA)- Several Performance Events (1975-76)
Dance Construction Company members, Maida Withers, John Bailey, Brook Andrews, JoAnn Sellers, Betty Tittsworth, dancers and John Driscoll, Musical Director, explored the use of the 3rd floor performance space often collaborating with musicians and other artists and dancers such as Beth Burkhardt.