MAIDA WITHERS and the DANCE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
RUSSIAN TOURS AND PROJECTS, 1997 to 2016

Yekaterinburg, Russia (August 26-28, 2016)
Small-format Contemporary Dance Festival curated by Ekaterina Zharinova, Director.
Maida Withers performs ICEBERGS: Fault Line;  original music by Steve Hilmy; poetry by David McAleavey and Alex Caldiero. http://maidadance.com/works/fault-line/
▪  Yekaterinburg History Museum

Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Arkhangelsk, Russia – US Embassy Tour (April 2007)
MWDCCo perform: Thresholds Crossed (Russian cast: Anastasia Oleynik, Ekaterina Zharinova, Konstantin Grouss, Nikolai Shchetnev, Vitalii Sozoniuk (Ukraine),
▪   U.S. Consulate Celebrate America Week; Arkhangelsk, Russia (April 16)
▪   Luna Theatre; Thresholds Crossed, Russian/American dancers; Moscow, Russia (April 26)
▪   International Festival of Dance “Isadora,” Krasnoyarsk, Russia (April 30); Elena Slobodchikova, Director.
View Thresholds Crossed:  http://maidadance.com/works/thresholds-crossed/

Norilsk, Russia (2006)
3^rd International Annual Conference “Integrity of Cultural Space or Sum of Territories.” Conference founded by Irina Prokhorova, intellectual and manager of her brother’s national campaign for office against Vladimir Putin. Luba Kusovnikova was MWDCCo curator/contact.
▪   Perform: Thresholds Crossed, Duet (Konstantin Grouss; Anastasia Oleynik); Participate in discussion regarding indigenous people of the region; Norilsk, Russia (November 4)

Krasnoyarsk, Russia (April 2005)
International Festival of Dance “Isadora,” Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia (April 10-17, 2005); Elena Slobodchikova, Director.
•   DCCo perform Shocked and Odd – Live Art II with Nikolai Shchetnev, Russia, Jack Gallagher, (American living in The Netherlands; Megan Thompson, Maida Withers (April 16)
•   Create LENIN, site-specific performance for the Lenin Museum with seventeen Russian dancers. Performance broadcast on television station. (April 14)
•   Teach workshops in improvisation, technique, and dance and technology (April 10-17)
•    Adjudication of choreography and performance: each evening international dance faculty viewed performances by modern dance groups from throughout Siberia selecting performers for the GALA Concert and awards for distinguished choreography

Moscow, Russia (July 2005)
TsEKh (International Center for Choreography and Performance); Elena Tupyseva, Director.
•   National audition followed by rehearsals for 3 weeks creating Thresholds Crossed Part I during TsEKh International Summer School (est July 3-23, 2005)
•   Informal performance of Thresholds Crossed Part I. (est Jul 20)
•   Maida Withers teaches improvisation for TsEKh International Summer School

Solovky Island,.Russia (July 2004)
ArtAngar “Solosphere” Project; Solovky Islands, Russia. Luba Kusovnikova, Project Director.
•   Create and perform: 8-day residency at historic Solovky Island to create site specific works: http://maidadance.com/works/solosphere/ Solovky Island was the site of the first experiment in the Soviet Era GULAG (forced labor camps) written  about extensively by author and dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. During the 3-week residency with dance   artists from Finland and Russia DCCo (Maida Withers, Anthony Gongora, Linda Lewett, filmmaker; Audrey Chen, cellist) created dances for many locations on the Island and filmed Thresholds Crossed (GULAG/Art Angar). Film short has been presented in several dance film festivals internationally: http://maidadance.com/works/thresholds-crossed-gulag-art-angar-film/ in the historic building housing the dirigible (delivery of food, and other commodities). See Solosphere in Dance Works and Events in the archive. (July 17-24)

Arkhangelsk, Russia (July 2004)
TOUCH 3 International Dance Festival, Arkhangelsk, Russia;  Nikolai Shchetnev, Director.
•   Performed Thresholds Crossed (GULAG/Abu Ghraib) Maida, Anthony, Audrey..
•  Created site specific work with Russian, American and Finnish dancers (downtown street in the location of Café Merci) (July 11-16)

St. Petersburg, Russia (July 2003)
5th OPEN LOOK International Dance Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia (July 1-10, 2003); Vadim Kasparov, Director.
•   Perform Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky: http://maidadance.com/works/dance-of-the-auroras-fire-in-the-sky-stage-work/ Performance included collaborators, Tania Fraga, cyber world artists from Brazil; original music by Oystein Sevag and the Global House Band, Norway; Dance Construction Company dancers; Sasha Kukin, Russia, Iwona Olszowska, Poland; Part II section performed by Kannon Dance Company of St. Petersburg;
•   Maida Withers was in residence for two weeks in St. Petersburg in March 2003 to reconstruct Part II of Dance of the Auroras on the Kannon Dance Company;
•   Company taught four workshops daily.

Arkhangelsk, Russia (July 2003)
TOUCH 2 International Dance Festival in Arkhangelsk, Russia (July 11-15);  Nikolai Shchetnev, Director.
•   Perform Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky (see description above)
•  Company taught two workshops daily.

St. Petersburg, Russia (May 2001)
Open Look Festival. Kannon Dance Company and School; Vadim Kasparov, Director.
•   MWDCCo in residence teaching for the festival and reconstructing Aurora/2001: Dance of the  Auroras – Fire in the Sky Part II Kannon Dance Company dancers.
•   Perform: Tansia Theatre Aurora/2001: Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky (May 20)

St. Petersburg, Russia (April 2000)
Kannon Dance School and Company, St. Petersburg, Russia; Vadim Kasparov, Director
•   Maida Withers created Part III of Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky with Iwona Olszowska,  dancer from Poland, and Sasha Kukin, dancer from Russia, and Vincent Cacalano, USA/Netherlands,  during a residency sponsored by Kannon Dance Company. (April 3-24, 2000)
▪   Premiere Part III Dance of Auroras, Dukabrezkov Theatre
▪   Daily teaching for the school and community

Volgograd, Russia (June 1997)
International Contemporary Dance Festival, Conference on Contemporary Dance, Volgograd Centre for Dance, Volgograd, Russia; Margarita Moijes, Conference Director; Center for Contemporary Choreography.
•   Maida Withers delivered a paper, June 5, 1997,  and showed video of Utah * Spirit Place * Spirit Planet *  Tukuhnikivatz: http://maidadance.com/works/utah-spirit-place-spirit-planet-tukunhnikivatz/ This was one of the first post-Soviet Era international Russian conferences on contemporary dance (June 4-8).  U.S. Embassy support.

Moscow, Russia (May 1997)
Kinetics Theatre, Sasha Pepelieyev, Director
▪   Workshop for Kinetics Dance Company (May 29)
Chamber Ballet Ensemble
▪   Workshop for Chamber Ballet Ensemble (May 30)