Past Works

Utah * Spirit Place * Spirit Planet * Tukuhnikivatz

A River Runs Deep (2002)
Opening segment of Hekuras – Spirits of the Rainforest; Choreography by Maida Withers for five dancers (Brazil), real-time interactive cyber worlds by Tania Fraga (Brazil), and original music by Magda Pucci (Brazil). Residency and performance: Anhembi Morumbi University, São Paulo, Brazil.

Investigation of Late (2002)
Duet by dancers Maida Withers, choreographer (USA), and Lotta Lundgren (Sweden), with trombone and synthesized music by Cam Miller, composer. Premiere: Marvin Betts Theatre, Washington, DC.

Surveillance (2002)
Women's trio with projected real-time interactive images originating from the wireless video camera worn on the chest of one dancer. Maida Withers, concept/choreographer; Jim Levy, composer; Liza Pendergast, cellist. Premiere, It's New to Me series, Arlington, Virginia.

Aurora/2001: Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky (2001)
Evening length poetic journey through space where dancers manipulate and alter the cyber world environment by using the wireless mouse. Maida Withers, concept/choreographer/director; Øystein Sevåg Global House Band, composer/musicians (Norway); Tania Fraga, cyber world artist (Brazil); David Liban, filmmaker. Installation includes motion pictures from NASA, European Space Agency, Lockheed Martin, Trond Trondson, Auroral Imager, Robert Eather and SolarMAX IMAX, photographs of aurora artists including Jan Curtis and Dick Hutchinson. Premiere: The Northern Lights Festival, Tromsø, Norway.

Pitfalls…nose to cement and other falling tales of people on the way down! (1998)
Dancers perform choreography involving falling and not falling to spontaneous stories about falling told by audience members. Premiere: 31st Festival de Inverno, Ouro Preto, Brazil.

Nevertheless … Tenderness (1997)
Duet features the relationship of two women. Cello, Ana Ruth Bermudas (Cuba); Premiere: Aula Magna Theatre, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.

Halda (a mound made of waste) (1997)
Evening length site performance inspired by the environment (pollution/mining) of the Silesia region in Poland, commissioned by Slaski Teatr Tanca. Maida Withers, concept and choreography; Grzegorz Jedrzejowski, composer; Eksperymentalne Studio Tanca, dancers from Krakow; The Fivenotten Group (visual artists) from the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Premiere performances for 1997 International Dance Conference and Festival: Bytom, Poland, Plac Kosciuszki; Katowice, Plac Sejmu Slaskiego, and Krakow, Poland; Kazimierz, ul. Szeroka

Utah * Spirit Place * Spirit Planet * Tukuhnikivatz (1996)
Evening length multimedia installation and performance based on ancient and contemporary earth consciousness. Commissioned by Lincoln Center. Maida Withers, concept/choreography/video; Brent Michael Davids, Native American/Mohican composer and music ensemble; Bruce Hucko, earth photography; Adam Peiperl, kaleidoscope photography; Verabel Cluff, Stefanie Altomare-Sese, video; Jennifer Kinloch, visual installation; Thomas Fiocci, set; Turker Ozdogan, masks; Kellie Owens, costume design; Spencer Brown, light design. Premiere: Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors GREAT DANCE in the BANDSHELL Series, Damrosch Park, NYC.

Stone Ring (1995)
Evening length multimedia collaboration: Choreography/performance, Maida Withers; Vocals, Marilia (Japan); Piano, Stephen Lockwood; Visual elements, Francois Perez (Australia); Poetry, Gozo Yoshimasu (Japan). Premiere: Beam Theatre, Tokyo, Japan.

Stirrings (1994)
Multimedia solo created for Kim Je Young (Korea); polarized light video, Adam Peiperl; saxophone, Kang Tae Hwan (Korea). Premiere: Munye Theatre, Seoul, Korea.

One Too Many (1994)
Commissioned for Kuala Lumpur Dance Company. Premiere: Kuala Lumpur Dance Theatre, Kuala Lumpur, West Malaysia.

In Winds of Sand (1993)
Solo dance performance, video, and slide installation based on the Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. Verabel Cluff, video, SandsS CycleS, and earth slides; Music: A.F. Caldeiro. Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC.

Ancient Lands / Ancient Peoples (1992)
Ritual duet and solo; Maida Withers, choreography; James Byrne, video; Kang Tae Hwan; Photographic slides, Hucko; Premiere: Seoul, Korea.

Rolling Thunder (1992)
Performance in four parts: "The Messenger Eagle," "Spirit Figures," "Still Rush," and "Transformation." Created for United Nations' Earth Summit, Eco ’92. Music, SHAMAN; costumes, Tea Schiano; visual elements and design: Hilda Thorpe; Premiere: National Theatre, Brasilia, Brazil.

SkyCloud (1991)
15 min. company performance; Sculpture, Hilda Thorpe; Music, dancers voices and text; Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC.

Ledge (l988)
Solos/Duets: Moving Earth/Dune, Mountain Birthing, Man Birthing, Soar, Crossings, Earth Spirit; Music, Michael Willis; light design, William DeMull. Premiere: Mexico City, Mexico.

Obsession: America's Obsession with Sex (1987)
Evening length commentary on sexual revolution starting with Elvis Presley. Music: Michael Willis and Nuvieux Music Ensemble; Premiere: Mexico City, Mexico.

State of the Art (1986)
Choreography examines conflict of artist in society. Choreograph, Maida Withers; music, Michael Willis; light design, William DeMull; Premiere: San Jose, Costa Rica. (Adapted for video, Arlington Public Access).

Laser Dance (1985)
Departure, Quest, Domain, Rites, Skylight, Departure - Evening length performance inside installation of argon laser beams on stage and in the theatre with sound installation - microphones responsive to heat of laser beams. Choreographer, Maida Withers; laser sculptor, Rockne Krebs; Synclavier II Composer, Bob Boilen; Premiere: Lisner Auditorium, Washington, DC.

Turf (l983)
Evening length performance on women olympians. Olympic Films – 1936 and 1962. Choreography, Maida Withers; music: Rogelio Maxwell, cello and flute. Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC.

Families Are Forever (1982)
Four-part suite - multimedia performance. Choreography, Maida Withers; music: Joe Clark; photo montage: Dennis Deloria; installation, Janet Saad Cook, sculptor. Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC.

Stall. (1981)
Evening length performance, a dialogue with the rotating loudspeaker installation. Choreography, Maida Withers; animation and music, John Driscoll & Phil Edelstein; Premiere: Akademie der Kunst Festival, West Berlin, Germany.

Woman See (1981)
Evening length performance on the emergence of feminism. Music, Lloyd McNeil, wind instruments, and Terry Plumeri, acoustical bass; choreography/film/set/narration, Maida Withers. Premiere: Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Catching Butterflies and Other Things That Move (1979)
A movement structure of interrupting and being interrupted. Choreography, Maida Withers; music, Steven Bates; costumes, John Bailey. Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC.

Phase Tracing I (1978) and Phase Tracing II (1979)
Performance where dancers create audio with movements of the body dropping the projected ultrasound one octave into a level of audibility. Choreography, Maida Withers; ultrasound music and sculpture, Ron Kuivila. Premiere: Dance Project and Marvin Theatre Washington, DC.

An Evening of Poetry and Dance (1978) and (1979)
Absurd and outrageous social commentary event performed by dancers with controversial performance poet, Chasen Gaver; choreography, Maida Withers; sculptor, Edward LeBoe; architect, Terry Rosenheck; Premiere: Dance Project, DC.

Sunday Maneuvers (1977)
Site-specific performance created for Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park. Choreography, Maida Withers; stilts, Brook Andrews; musicians performing in the mote, John Bailey. Premiere: Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park, Washington, DC.

Put on the Music...Let's Dance (1977)
Performance based on great film dance of 1930s and 1940s. Commissioned by City Dance. Choreography, Maida Withers and company; costumes, Beth Burkhardt. Premiere: Warner Theatre, Washington, DC.

For Verabel (1976)
Surreal duet – tribute to failed love. Choreography and set design, Maida Withers; music, John Driscoll. Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC.

Time Dance (1976)
Group performance based on structure of pulse and accumulation. Choreography, Maida Withers and company; music for miniature objects, John Driscoll; costumes, John Bailey. Premiere: Hand Chapel, Washington, DC.

White Mansions (1975)
Site-specific performance constructed for Holy Rood Cemetery. Choreograph, Maida Withers and company. Premiere at dusk: Holy Rood Cemetery, Washington, DC.

Bog Works (1975)
Site-specific performance in an environment of homemade loudspeakers. Event; Maida Withers and dancers; construction and performance with loudspeakers and battery-operated light/set, John Driscoll. Premiere: Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC.

Yesterday's Garlands and Yesterday's Kisses (1974)
Evening length performance – nostalgia coupled with absurdity. Choreography, Maida Withers and company; music, John Driscoll; vocal improvisations, Dee Kohanna. Premiere: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC