Dance Construction Company
The Company
Maida Withers Dance Construction Company was established in Washington, DC in 1974 as a not-for-profit federally tax exempt organization to create original works for stage, sites, and film. The founding company of seven members included four dancers, two visual artists/dancers and John Driscoll, sculptor/composer, who was musical director for the Company for seven years, associate of John Cage. John, a brilliant artist, continues to collaborate on programs with MWDCCo. The Company has always been committed to evening-length works, performance events for stage and other locations – museums, galleries, national monument parks, street festivals, filmmaking, other. Important for the Company is a process of continuously generating choreography based on research that speaks to current social, political, and artistic issues. Collaboration and innovation are two significant hallmarks of the Company. In the 1970s MWDCCo was presenting evening-length “events” including choreography and improvisation every six to eight weeks. The Company was an active participate in the establishment of the DC International Improvisation Plus+ Festival, a 15-year annual two-week festival in Washington, DC that included artist from countries abroad with assistance of the Embassies in Washington, DC. The Company was on the forefront in what became known as the revolution of dance from modern to post-modern dance. Music is created for all the works and is always performed live. Steve Hilmy has been the resident composer/musician for the past eight years. Maida and the Company tour extensively internationally. The Company began working with interactive technology as early as 1970 and continues on the forefront of experimentation with technology. Tours and international projects by Maida Withers and The Dance Construction Company include Mexico, Brazil, Croatia, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Germany, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Korea, and Japan, others. Tours include teaching and performing, but often involve creation and performing of works and performing these works locally and abroad. Maida and the Company have received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, DC Commission for the Arts, Ford Foundation in Russia, the U.S. Department of State – U.S. Embassies, Lincoln Center, NYC, International Celebration Art, DC, local foundations and individuals. The Company is committed to collaboration on a local, national, and global level. We are grateful to the many diverse artists who have made the work of the Company possible and for the opportunity to create and present original work at home and abroad.