Stirrings – Je Young Kim – Washington, DC
                       dances in fleeting -worlds / shimmering light sculptures
                    A Hole in the Sky art creations by Adam Peiperl, visual artist, DC

(1994) – May Festival (date TBD)
Stirrings, an eloquent dance created by Maida Withers as a magical, abstract, stunning, multimedia solo for noted Korean modern dancer, Je Young Kim.  Stirrings premiered at Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater, Washington, DC.  The original work at Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater featured colorful large-scale polarized light sculpture (A Hole in the Sky) created by visual artist, Adam Peiperl. The video was projected in large scale into the stage space to partner with the dancer.  The eloquent costume, conceived by Maida Withers, was created by Bill Pucilowsky, distinguished costume designer for theater and dance, Washington, DC.  Regrettably, due to the low lighting required for the delicate light sculptures to be seen, the dramatic video projection of the dancer is not fully visible on the documentary video.

                                                        Stirrings – World Premiere
                                                     Munye Theatre, Seoul, Korea
                          Je Young Kim, Dance    Kang Tae Hwan, Saxophone

(1994) May 3  STIRRINGS -13th International Modern Dance Festival, Seoul, Korea, featured  the world premiere of the fascinating and brilliant Je Young Kim performing Stirrings, choreographed by Maida Withers,  with improvised contemporary saxophone performed live and on stage by the amazing Korean saxophone artist, Kang Tae Hwan. See video above.

(1997) April 24-26 – Washington, DC – Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, George Washington University Spring Dance Concert.  GW dancers, Giselle Ruzany and Sarah Slifer, performed a duet version of the solo, Stirrings, in the stunning projected kinetic sculpture images by Adam Peiperl, visual artist.   Music was performed live by Composer/Flutist, Jonathan Modell.  GWU Spring Dance
Program note: “Created as a solo for Guest Artist Je Young Kim, premiered in Seoul, Korea in 1994. Presented, here, as a duet, mirror image form, with 2  dancers performing the solo in conversation with moving sculpture images.“

(1997) July 7 & 8 – Paris, France – Teatro Dunois. Cyrus Khambata,  dance artist, New York City and Washington, DC, invited Maida Withers and the  Dance Construction Company to share a concert with Phfft Dance Theatre Company, NYC, in Paris, France at Theatro Dunois. STIRINGS was performed as a duet by Dance Construction Company dancers Sarah Slifer and Giselle Ruzany with original music by John Modell, clarinet.  Stirrings solo was re-staged effectively as a duet by having one dancer facing downstage and one facing upstage – performing the solo simultaneously.

(1998) May 1 and 2   Stirrings.  Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, Washington, DC. Stirrings premiered as a solo by Sarah Slifer at the performance featuring the Dance Construction Company and dancers from Venezuela – “dances by women”.  Slifer performed the solo in the sculpture projections by Adam Peiperl. The concert was titled: Washington DC – Venezuela, Dance Works by International Women, performed at Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater, Washington, DC. New music for Stirrings was created and performed live by Rob Orwin using a wind synthesizer.

(1999) November 15 and 16 – Sarah Slifer performed Stirrings at the International Exchange Modern Dance Festival in Seoul, Korea at Hoam Art Hall (Nov 15) and Taejon Cultural Center (Nov 16), Taejon, Korea.


Polarized Light Sculpture (Projection) by Adam Peiperl, Visual Artist,  Washington, DC

Je Young Kim, extraordinary Korean contemporary dancer

Je Young Kim-  Noted Korean Contemporary Dancer (above and below)


Video:  https://vimeo.com/521923302/
Adam Peiperl, Polarized Light Sculpture;  Je Young Kim, Dancer

Top above:  1997 – Paris, France – Theatro Dunois dressing room:
Maida Withers, Giselle Ruzany, Sarah Slifer, Cyrus Khambata,
dancers, in the dressing room prior to public performance in Paris.

Bottom above: 1997-  Dance Construction Company dancers, Giselle |
Ruzany and Sarah Slifer, improvise, Plaza – Louvre, Paris, France.

Below: Teatro Dunois Program – Paris, France

What the press is saying

It was a great honor to create a solo with the amazing dance artist, Je Young Kim. Her maturity, intelligence and power converge in Stirrings to move the audience in a quiet, yet disturbing way. Kang Tae Huan intensity of captured by all viewers. The in/out continuous in/out breathing while playing by Kang Tae Hwan adds suspense and encourages the audience to also not breath but to stay suspended in "wonder and awe." Maida Withers