Category Archives: Foundation Period (60s to 80s)
Experimental Evening of Music and Dance
(1975) Maida Withers Dance Construction Company (dancers) and Pnumbral Raincoast (musicians) perform improvisations in concert at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC, an experimental evening of music and dance that features contemporary music pieces and dance/music improvisation Curators: John ...
Early Works – 1964 to 1973
Early works -1964 to 1973 (1964 thru 1973) Dance works were created by Maida Withers in Washington, DC prior to establishing Maida Withers Dance Construction Company as a not-for-profit federally tax-exempt organization in 1974/6 Performers included mature dancers from the Washington, ...
Laser 1 (1971)
Note: In 1917, Einstein proposed the possibility of what became lasers Forty years later (1957) Einstein proposed the process that makes lasers possible Rockne Krebs began exploration of Laser as art in early 1960s Krebs first ever 3-D laser beam ...
Pnumbral Raincoast
(1974) February 27 and February 28 Program says Thursday/Friday but those dates are Wednesday and Thursday???? Washington Project for the Arts/1227 G Street NW/Washington, DC Program information provided by John Driscoll, 7/6/2025 (physical program, difficult to read so typed information below) Steve Bloom ...
WPA – Early Works
(1974) WPA - Early Works (Washington Project for the Arts) Maida was involved with Washington Project for the Arts as a new multi-disciplinary organization in Washington, DC established by Alice Denny This association facilitated the Dance Construction Company rehearsing and performing ...
LEGACY: 50 Years Dance on the Edge
(2022) September 23 - December 10 LEGACY: 50 Years Dance on the Edge Corcoran School of Arts and Design; Corcoran Flagg Building Galleries 500 17th Street NW, Washington, DC LEGACY_Exhibition Booklet (click) HISTORY EXHIBITION - September 23 - October 23, 2022 Maida Withers and the ...
Take Off
1968 or 1971 (TBD) - Take Off; National Airport Radio Tower Sound Score (agents talk) Choreographed by Maida Withers for six DC women dancers (GW undergraduate dance students) Take Off is a metaphor for life based on the power of the airplane ...
Mass – A Fifth Generation Radiator Brought to us on the Sabbath
(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 ...
Psychedelic Dance
(1968-1969) Psychedelic Dance was created by Maida Withers with GW undergraduate dancers performing A new technique involved oil, cake coloring mixed in water, in a clear glass mixing bowl This projection technique was made possible with water, coloring, and oil ...
Essay I – Of the Mind Essay II – Of the Heart
(1966) Two-part work: Essay I - Of the Mind; Essay II - Of the Heart Choreography by Maida Withers with six GW dancers The works explore the balance and conflict between the impulses "of the mind" and the ...
Catching Butterflies and Other Things that Move _Photos
1979 or 1980 (Date TBD - must be 1980???) MRW spoken ad DATES are confusing MRW says Feb 28 8 pm (must be Thursday) March 1 @ 8 pm (Friday) and March 2 (saturday) at 5 and 8 pm Catching Butterflies ...
Washington Project for the Arts – Performance
(1975 - ) Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) was founded in 1975 by the art impresario Alice Denney, organizer of the legendary NOW FESTIVAL in 1966 in the skating rink facility in Washington, DC WPA was established as an artist ...
Thin Holes / BYU Residency
1976 - Thin Holes, a new work created during a three week summer dance residency: Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company (Maida Withers, John Bailey, Brook Andrews) and John Driscoll, composer/musician, engaged in a three to four week residency ...
Maida Withers Dance Concert (Celebrates MWDCCo Founding)
1974 - Maida Withers Dance Concert (December 13) Note: MWDCCo applied for federal 501-C-3 tax-exempt status as a non-profit cultural organization in Washington, DC in 1974 See 501-C3 1976 verification document Dance Concert by Maida Withers, Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, included four ...
Early works -1966 to 1973
1964 thru 1973 - Works were created by Maida Withers in Washington, DC prior to establishing Maida Withers Dance Construction Company (1974) Performers included dancers from the community and MA and BA dance alumni or students at George Washington University ...
Dance – Changing the System – Columbus Gallery of Art
Program February 23, 1974 - Was this the evening event? John Driscoll, composer/musician, and Maida Withers Dance Construction Company (John Bailey and Brook Andrews, JoAnn Sellars) performed throughout the Columbus Gallery of Art during the opening public celebration of the ...
Earth Meets Sky
1980 - January 1 Improvisation Event Studio K Theater 60 minutes Director / Performance Script: Maida Withers Music: Steve Bloom, Mike Manring, Chris Beaven Dancers: 6 MWDCCO dancers and 11 Washington, DC Dancers Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company collaborate with eleven Washington, DC dancers performing ...
Dances on Men and Women (Repertory)
(1984) May 12 The Smithsonian Resident Associate Program presents: Smithsonian Salutes Washington Dance featuring Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company Presented by National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History, 8:00 pm Retrospective: selection of short duets and quartets created by ...
Dance Improvisation Performances
(1972 - present) Starting in 1972, every six to 10 weeks, Maida Withers, Brook Andrews, John Bailey, and GW MA graduate students created dance and movement improvisation events in GW's Building K gymnasium and Building J dance studio spaces and ...
Catching Butterflies and Other Things That Move
https://vimeocom/90693028 (1980) May 9 Rehearsal for City Dance '80 performance at Warner Theater (little time for rehearsal at Warner Theater so we rehearsed at Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre) [embed]https://vimeocom/91520288[/embed] (1979)Original cast rehearsing in Bldg K, documenting Catching Butterflies and Other Things That Move ...
Put on the Music…Let’s Dance (1975)
[embed]https://vimeocom/108899561[/embed] (1975) Locate date Put on the Music - Let's Dance (Cabaret Setting - Audience and performance space mingled) Washington Project for the Arts, 1227 G Street NW, Washington, DC The space was a very large space (third floor) with high ...
Yesterday’s Garlands and Yesterday’s Kisses-2013
2013) November 14, 15, 16 An eighteen-minute segment of Yesterday's Garlands and Yesterday's Kisses reconstructed on George Washington University dancers and performed on DanceWorks November 14, 15, 16, 2013 in Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC Originally choreographed by Maida Withers ...
Obsession & Interview FCAC-TV
1987 - Film- Interview with documentary of live performance Maida Withers, on camera, describes her dance work, Obsession - America's Obsession with Sex, FCAC (Fairfax Cable Access Corporation, Fairfax, Virginia) Obsession - America's Obsession With Sex, is an interesting and ...
Time Dance: Found Audience – Found Space (1977)
Site Work: John Bailey, Brook Andrews, Maida Withers 1977 (? October 12) Time Dance: Found Audience - Found Space is an adaptation of dancers performing select segments of choreography from the stage work, Time Dance, on the steep steps leading down to ...
Time Dance (1984)
https://vimeocom/106383942 https://vimeocom/92363361 (1984) or 1970 ? June 14 - Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre Concept/Director: Maida Withers Choreography: Maida Withers and Dance Construction Company Concept/Intention: group performance based on structure - pulse and accumulation Sound / poetry: John Driscoll - Music for Miniature Objects and spoken text ...
From Movement to Dance: People, Creatures, Things
[embed]http://vimeocom/108531246[/embed] 1967 - Maida created this 16mm film as part of her educational engagement with dance for children Maida was an active participant in the inauguration of the USA national Artist-in-Schools initiative that brought artists into public schools for curriculum development ...
Dance/Sound Events: Tin Tabernacle Series
(1974) September 27 & 29; October 11, 12, and 19 Dance/Sound Events: Tin Tabernacle Series Maida Withers Dance Construction Company presented five evenings, Dance/Sound events - Tin Tabernacle Series, a project with sculptor/musician, John Driscoll in a very large and ...
For Verabel
1977 "For Verable," March 25 (Check program dates?GW was 1976? and WPAS 1977? Female duet, concerned with the tragic alteration of the loving and devoted husband and wife, family of four children First Performance: Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC (Date? 1976?) Premiere: Washington Project ...
Orff Suite
[embed]https://vimeocom/107530112[/embed] (1977) November 10 Dances created by Maida Withers for the Dance Construction Company for live performance, played and sung, by the Hartwick Orff Ensemble for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association annual meeting held at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Washington, DC The ...
Evening of Poetry and Dance I
CONFIRM DATES 1977 and 1978 (or 1978 and 1979) with published materials 1977 - Give the Dancers Castenets: The first evening-length collaboration of Maida Withers Dance Construction Company with performance poet, Chasen Gaver, Dance Project, Adams Morgan, Washington, DC with ...
Evening of Poetry and Dance II
1978 - Baby It's About Time! an absurd and outrageous social commentary event performed by dancers with Washington, DC's most controversial performance poet, Chasen Gaver Chasen Gaver performed his poems sometimes using small hand-held instruments Performing in cabaret style, he ...
White Mansions – Holy Rood Cemetery
John Bailey, JoAnn Sellars, Maida Withers, Brook Andrews (1975) September 13 - 14 (Sat/Sun) check dates, Washington Project for the Arts and Holly Rood Cemetery - newspaper date) WHITE MANSIONS (Date to be determined - WPA archive?) "The South" - a facade ...
Time Dance (1976)
[embed]https://vimeocom/104514374[/embed] (1976) Time Dance, March 26, 27, 28 Premiere: Hand Chapel, Washington, DC [embed]https://vimeocom/106383942[/embed] (1977) and (1984) Time Dance (October 12?) Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater, Washington, DC 3 (1977) Time Dance: Found Audience - Found Space (Dates?) Potomac River Site, Washington, DC Time Dance - An evening-length performance for ...
Phase Tracing
Brook Andrews, Diane Floyd, Don Zuckerman, Maida Withers (1978) December 8 Phase Tracing, an evening-length work, a collaboration with Ron Kuivila, experimental sound artist and composer In the Phase Tracing performance, dancer's movements make inaudible sound audible with movements of the body ...
Yesterday’s Garlands and Yesterday’s Kisses
[embed]https://vimeocom/73810026?turnstile=0zpz9a2jXNn299ShkYpeKgKxopwLkrDEMfy0N_-nUWou-ukgLATliY8WHCEjDlii9jii940e3hoq0OpdHM0zY_1p-5-eJZJXGbmsKny17FLD6CybKnEuzMitoasthirRQ43iEK_WPodvYhdsRreQNNa3EPyZzpRelpb64ln_fOi_5RqQQk7t9J3r8s0Pf9qBd8kBIJr-8-hi6S7BikyNouoSEZR7le_25oJbeJlVAVTNtp-8Y_YFfpl_2wimzHuO43Ymu-YK7kddTxQPAAMMkJtw0VEkFKNwacORTc_GFNr5f4P-SsBlCnnbM4GvqswN7fnStW3Sw7hyxzihdVhWXKihptUUJJJ_sR2y0FGi4lUqApIu4Cufx7YVRx6HNI64ha5XIRiyKgDObXe2w4Bb3Ecy_6v9bMCaCuq7OjTB9g7XDAho13g0CmzlQcV_TVJI7Fu8ixmdYvZ0XcegVQu2xoZJr4gEOQfgF5eq8aX5vIzS10An3hnmjBcAGPhXGufONn0XfTDmoXYADLG2zSHKUyNJLGhWCNbUN5iQ-YTXWX2D34E0wm-BzbhNYPLEPKbWowss_3CzIOIfHU0Q6vocf6iTAJp3MqOKxcX2aCREg-flXaRwBJYm3ucW7j_WPE_OWF9rY9y6sABYUIEoQ9__7mCsWwiYd34QaOw7mSrWVnqJ0TXO46mv-fZsaUICFOTZAcg60s8T47h4TOeyxskkgRUVec6SakF8jxLSba-eGxhAlDAkMcNIT7ieaMx2C2mLosAwdzem0ugSmVAcspwv9qWLRcSselSzMxmZQIkI9a0Npw26ZC-e5jimY-qQE-H9lanC53QG39b0OQRMVtLHcKiyq9qWvR_lVhejlbwvkt20czgjQIe9knpAQ4s0j0TY4Qa85b9cfc689ab3bb4cfefff5d7c1cfaf79df9eb0f8bdc6abaf4183da59c17133[/embed] Yesterdays Garlands and Yesterday's Kisses (1974) November 1 - Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater, Premiere (1975) June 3 - Summer Dance Workshop Concert, Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater (2013) Nov 14, 15, 16 DanceWorks, Student Quartet, Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater Nostalgia, absurdity, irreverence, innocence, trauma, extreme ...
Bog Works
BOG WORKS: John Driscoll Instruments @ Washington Project for the Arts BOG WORKS: John Driscoll Instruments @ Washington Project for the Arts 1975 - Friday, August 15 BOG WORKS Presented by Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC Admission $200 John Driscoll, Electronic Composer/Musician Maida Withers and the ...