Alissandru (Alex) Caldiero, performance poet

Maida Withers, choreographer/dancer

(2008) FareWell and Hell-O June 28 and 29
Alissandru (Alex) Caldiero and Maida Withers perform together at the Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake City Library Theatre Stage, a riveting “wake up call!”  FareWell and Hell-O is an important part of  Withers’ Fare Well, series of dances concerned with the future of life of humans and planet earth.

Alex and Maida have a substantive history of working together (see collaborators page below).  For FareWell – Hell-O, two daring and seasoned artists spontaneously collaborate.  Alex, configuring his brilliant text, creating new text, at a desk on stage, speaking, reciting, and creating – all the while projecting his writing onto the background/wall of the performance space. Maida performing her solo with freedom to elaborate and alter the choreography and expressive response to text,  engaging directly with Alex performance and use of his words….following a script and creating anew as text inspires/demands.

Maida and Alex are interacting “live” with known material while discovering the unknown – poetic verbal and movement commentary.  The performance was passionate, intense, over-stated, smart, outrageous…..coming and coming – with no breath and ceasing….no, not in the small theater space with close proximity to the audience. Amazing to be present.  Fearless humor and movement in outrageous unexpected joy….(See excerpts of Alex poetry below).

Maida adapted FareWell – To The End of the World As We Know It OR Dancing Your Way to Paradise! while keeping interaction between herself and Alex as he improvised on his writings, passion driven with depth and vulnerability.  Alex poetry, flamboyant, humerous, off-putting at times, provides serious content for the collaborator while at the same time providing a universal way of thinking that allows for humor and critical thought.

Maida has the deepest respect for Alex as a philosopher, poet, intense professor but even more for his love of words and his ability to twist and destroy expectations with his poetic manipulations:  “Performing with Alex has an unexpected ecstasy! We are, for many reasons, a perfect match of wits and dramatic/illogical ideation!” Maida Withers

Comments about Fare Well by Maida since there is no known video recording available from the work – Fare Well and Hell-O.

Beloved, Alex Caldiero, passed away summer 2026 in Orem, Utah. His life and work celebrated by the UMOCA (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art), September 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM).  To my dear beautiful friend…..I am empty for words….but memories stay!

Alex Caldiero Poetry:
“In a world somewhere where there are no repetitions and every action is performed only once…the first and the last time.  What would life be like in such a world?  IN a world where there are no repetitions and every action is performed only once…the first and the last time.  What would life be like in such a world.  In a world where there are no repetitions and every action is performed only once…..”

IIIIIkKKKK Repetitionssss  The first….What would that.  And in the edge of the worlds and every

And they departed and passed through and they removed them to find at the

And every action…and they removed and they began and they took a journey and they departed and they departed and they departed…kiKKKK in the WRWWWorld and they departed and they departed….and they journey and they went Pitched  and they removed and departed and Pitched…removed and pitched. (continue) And they removed and they departed and pitched.  Somewhere where there are no repetitions. Actions performed only once.  First and Last time.”

Repetition Repetition. repetition.  IN a world KKKKK  Arrived, De De De KKKKK CHCHCHCH

Walked walked   Who wants to live in such a world…world.
wwwwwworldddd…..NNNNNNN

Pitched and Departed…..  (They words come forward on the screen tro get bigger and bigger).

Staccato words come and go..

Words glide forward and move to the left side and get bigger.

Repetition of the same words.

Rhythm…journeyed, pitched, departed, pitched,
Words floating on diagonals

Words lose distinction and just become sounds.

Poem Ends – Now I can laugh…..love held back until now…

https://maidadance.com/collaborator/alex-caldiero/
https://maidadance.com/collaborator/maida-withers/