(2002) July 2
Hekuras: Spirits of the Rainforest, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Anhembi Morumbi University)  (Original title:  A River Runs Deep, São Paulo, Brazil)
Project conceived by Maida Withers, USA, and Tania Fraga, Brazil. Maida’s motivation came from MWDCCo involvement in Brazil for the United Nation’s Earth Summit (Eco ’92) where our international artist’s group was associated with an indigenous tribe from northern Brazil and Maida’s subsequent visits to the Brazil RainForest.  In Brazil, Tania and Maida began the development of the idea of dance and interaction with visual technology related to the Brazil Rain Forests.  A multidimensional dance, computer art, new music based on the mythology and power of the Amazon Rainforest.  My time spent in the RainForest in Brazil had a profound impact on my understanding of planet earth and global connection. The dance artists in Brazil had a maturity and depth that was very meaning to Maida.

(2002) Hekuras: Spirits of the Rainforest (original title:A River Runs Deep): created in São Paulo, Brazil during a three-week residency with Brazilian Professional dancers (Wilson Aguiar, Marines Calori Andrea Fraga, Beth Bastos, Suia Ferluto). Tania Fraga, computer artist and scholar, created original computer art based on the Amazon mythology about the Rainforest. Original music was used with the permission of Magda Pucci, Brazilian composer. Hekuras was originally invited to be part of a Brazilian government exhibition internationally with the Brazilian government as sponsor.  That project was cancelled. So, Hekuras was never completed for that purpose, but was performed at Universidad Anhembi Morumbi in 2002 as a work in progress. This video includes two aspects:

(1)rehearsal that shows the dance with the computer art
(2) rehearsal without the computer art

In 2020, Rainforest Awakens, a real-time interactive collaborative performance by Maida Withers and Tania Fraga, was built around 8 of the VIRTUAL worlds from Tania Fraga’s brilliant Hekuras visual installation.

Stunning Examples: projected cyberworlds by Tania Fraga, visual artist, technology and art expert, professor, curator, Brazil: