Live Arts Festival:  Dancers and musicians improvise – Shocked and Odd
2004 – December 3 and 4.  “Shocked and Odd” – New Arts Festival, Gloucester,  Massachusetts, a “Live Arts” Festival that encouraged extreme movement and character concepts thru improvisation. “Live Arts” took place in DC with some of the finest and daring improvising dancers.   Withers states, “Without a question, performing with these astonishing dancers was one of the highlights of my improvising career.  Each of these men and women brought something profound and personal to the group event on stage…..a gift never to be forgotten by artists and audience.  Our performance, Shocked and Odd made choreographed dance feel oddly blocked and predictable. “What great fun, serious fun, with “fine” deliberate and exhausting chaos!” (Maida Withers)

International guest artists, Nikolai Shchetnev (Russia), Vincent Cacalano (Netherlands) and US guests, Cyrus Khambatta (Seattle),  Maida Withers (DC) and members of GW’s Washington Free Collaboration (DC), Wendell Cooper, Nicholette Routhier, Joe Venti, Amberlee Woods (GW), improvised Shocked and Odd – Live Art for two evening performances for the DC 10th International Improvisation Plus+ Festival.  Performance too place in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC (an intimate theatre for making connection to the audience). Musicians: Peter Fraize, saxophone; Steven C Hilmy, electronics; Jim Levy, keyboard – DC’s noted improvisers.