Maida Withers
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Maida Withers is a dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker. Withers is the founder and artistic director of Maida Withers Dance Construction Company of Washington, DC and is currently a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Biography
Born October 16, 1936 in Kanab, Utah Withers began her exploration of dance at a young age. Withers received her B.A in Dance and Theatre from Brigham Young University in 1958. She later received an M.S in Dance and Education in 1960 from the University of Utah.[1]
Career
Wither’s career began in the late 1960s. Inspired by the likes of Anna Halprin and John Cage, she soon took her own style, influenced by Merce Cunningham, Erick Hawkins, Alwin Nikolais, and Mary Wigman. She was part of what has become known as the modern dance revolution that created post-modernism in dance in America.[2] Critics say hers style of dance is bold and innovative. Withers in unafraid of conquering new and innovative movements.[3]
Since 1968, Withers has created groundbreaking multimedia stage works featuring projected images and films and real-time interactive projects with cyber worlds, laser beams, virtual scenarios, and other electronic technologies. Her works reveal an ongoing interest in social and political issues and in juxtaposing dance and technology.[4] She has created works with rotating loudspeakers, laser beams, wireless cameras, and video installations - always with live music. Withers has initiated and directed several large-scale new media projects, collaborating with visual and performing artists, scientists, anthropologists, and others. Withers has toured extensively internationally engaging in various projects in such diverse places as Guatemala, France, The Netherlands, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Brazil, Finland, Venezuela, Mexico, Poland, Germany, among others.[5] Her current focus is on technology and its interface with human emotional expression related to popular global culture.[6]
Withers has been on the faculties of Purdue and Howard Universities and taught nationally as a specialist with NEA Artists-in-Schools Program and internationally for various festivals and conferences.[7] Withers directed the MFA program in choreography and performance at The George Washington University for over twenty years. Currently she teaches Aesthetics, Choreography, Dance and Technology in the MFA dance program, and Choreography, Dance and Movement Improvisation, Trends in Performance Art, and Advanced Modern Dance Technique in the BA dance program.[8]
Withers was Founding Director of the Washington, DC International Improvisation Plus+ Festival featuring local, national, and international dance, music, theatre, and performance art.[9]
Maida Withers Dance Construction Company
Withers is the Artistic Director and founder of Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, a not-for-profit arts organization created in 1974 to produce original dance works for stage, sites and video in a collaborative process with visual and performing artists. Withers and The Dance Construction Company have toured throughout the US, and internationally to Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, France, Venezuela, Poland, Russia, and other locations.[10]
Awards and recognitions
DC Mayor’s Arts Award, Special Honors, 2014.
Lifetime Achievement Award, Dancing in the Desert, 2009.
Mayor’s Award for Distinctive Contribution, City of Kanab, Utah, 2009.
Cultural Envoy, US Department of State, US Embassy, GoDown Center, Nairobi, Kenya, 2008.
Dance Place Lifetime Educator’s Achievement Award, Washington, DC, 2007.
Metro DC Dance Award “Outstanding Overall Production – Large Venue,” Kennedy Center, 2006.
Washington, DC Mayor’s Arts Award – Excellence in Artistic Discipline, 2006.
Virginia Commission for the Arts and Humanities, Choreographer’s Fellowship, 2003.
Pola Nirenska Award for Exceptional Creative Contribution, 2001.
George Washington University Columbian Professorship Award, 1999.
George Washington University Service Award, 1999.
Kansai University, Osaka, Japan, Faculty Exchange, 1993.
Works
With the Maida Withers Dance Construction Company Withers has created over 150 works.[11]
Laser Dance 1 (1971)
Laser Sculptor: Rockne Krebs
Collaborators: Brook Andrews, Lynda Gattozzi, Michael Kilgore
Families are Forever (1981)
Music: Joe Clark, Mike Lovett
Visual Artist: Janet Saad Cook
Lighting: Ed Houser
Dance for the Earth (1992)
Music: Shaman Costumes: Hilda Thorpe Lighting: William (Bill) Demull
Thresholds Crossed (2006) Music: Audrey Chen, Steve Hilmy
Lighting: William (Bill) Demull
Costumes: Anthony Gongora, Maida Withers
Video Installation: Linda Lewett
Tzveta II (2011)
Editor: Ayodamola (Ayo) Okunseinde
Music Steve Hilmy
Producer: Maida Withers
Collision Course: a.k.a. Pillow Talk (2012)
Music: Steve Hilmy
Visual Design: Anthony Gongora
Costumes: Sigríd Jóhannesdóttir
Lighting: Michael Sperber
MindFluctuations (2015)
Computer Artist: Tania Fraga
Music: John Driscoll, Steve Hilmy
Sculptor: David Page
Costumes: Maida Withers
ICEBERGS: Glacial Drift (2016)
Music: John Driscoll, Steve Hilmy
Poet: David McAleavey
Costumes: Kelvin Small. Karen Cerkez
Architects: James Corner Field Operations
Rainforest Awaken (2020)
Computer Artist: Tania Fraga
Music: Steve Hilmy
References
- ^ "Maida Withers". Movement Research.
- ^ Traiger, Lisa. "DC 10th International Improvisation Plus+ Festival". Dance Magazine.
- ^ Berckes, Nicole. "Cold War Heats Up the Lisner Stage". DCist.
- ^ "Maida Withers". New Music USA.
- ^ "Maida Withers choreographs a program for the 60th Anniversary of the National Exhibition Center of Ukraine". ArtDaily.
- ^ "Maida Withers Dance Construction Company". The Kennedy Center.
- ^ "Dance Artist". Maida Withers Dance Construction Company.
- ^ "Dance Artist". Maida Withers Dance Construction Company.
- ^ Traiger, Lisa. "DC 10th International Improvisation Plus+ Festival". Dance Magazine.
- ^ "Maida Withers choreographs a program for the 60th Anniversary of the National Exhibition Center of Ukraine". Art Daily.
- ^ "Dance Artist". Maida Withers Dance Construction Company.