(1972)  Mass – A Fifth Generation Radiator Brought to Us on the Sabbath:                      A dance opera

Choreography:  Maida Withers with Sharron Rose
Music:  John Driscoll
Dance Solo:  Sharron Beckenheimer (Rose)      Dancers/Vocals:  GW MA dance students
Premiere: Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre
(Photo, Sharron Beckenheimer)

Sharron Beckenheimer (Rose) performed a strong, dramatic, dance solo on stage, choreographed with Maida Withers, with a cast of 15 dancers/vocalists from the GW Dance Program, in Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre.  Sharron performed scripted dance improvisation with dancers presenting improvised vocals/sounds in the house of the auditorium, sounds behind the audience and down the aisles, along with John Driscoll performing live music.  The resulting surround sound was captivating.

The title MASS was selected.  When we discovered that Leonard Bernstein’s production, MASS, was being presented at the Kennedy Center near the time of our performance, it was decided our work would have a poetic extension in the title:  MASS: A 5th Generation Radiator Brought to Us on the Sabbath (Additional title contributed by John Driscoll).

Sharron, who now goes by the name of Rose, is internationally recognized for her work in Eastern dance and music.  She is an expert in Chi Gong and other Eastern dance and music forms.  Sharron lived and studied in India for several years and is connected to singers, dancers, musicians related to India and Asian cultures. In addition to performing, Sharron is an author, teacher, and award winning filmmaker.  Sharron has interviewed many great music and dance practitioners. http://sacredmysteries.com

“MASS” was created during a period of time in the 1970s when I was active in the national effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America (MERA). Feminism was a word gaining an open following in the attempt to get the states to pass the Amendment on a state by state basis.  Curiously, at that time, GENDER was not such a prominent term, but feminism was penetrating all aspects of life in America.” (M. Withers).