Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Dana Tai Soon Burgess; female, TBD

“In the 1990’s, artists and the arts will play a central role as communicators of values in world consciousness of ecology and related social and cultural issues, working hand in hand with scientists and technology and the ancient knowledge of indigenous peoples as well.  It is my desire for my works for video, site, and stage to contribute to this global movement.”  Maida Withers, May 1991.

UNITED NATIONS EARTH SUMMIT (Eco ’92)
OMAME PROJECTO – Brazilian National Movement of Artists for Nature invited more than 100 international artists to Brazil, before and during the United Nation’s Earth Summit, to participate in the OMAME Projecto – an international congress of visual and performing artists for ecology.  OMAME is a Yanomami indigenous word meaning “creative manifestation of all things.”  The OMAME Projecto  began programming in May 12, 1992  in Brasilia prior to  United Nation’s Earth Summit, Eco ’92, June 3-14, 1992  in Rio de Janeiro.  MWDCCo was honored to be associated with international and Brazilian OMAME artists in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.  Our goal with other international artists was to bring attention to the urgent global issues of the global environment through the perspective of global artists. “Celebration da Terra” was a more personal reference to our OMAME collaborations related to the United Nation’s Earth Summit – Eco ’92.   MWDCCo five-week tour was funded, in part, by private contributors, participating artists, National Endowment for the Arts through the DC Commission for the Arts, George Washington University.

Maida  and Dance Construction Company dancers were deeply grateful to be involved in important OMAME Projeto activities in Brasilia, the capitol city of Brazil, prior to the Eco ’92 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.  Maida left Washington, DC on May 2, 1992 and was joined by four American DCCO dancers on May 5, 1992.  The Company had just 7 days to prepare for a full performance of Dance for the Earth (Rolling Thunder, world premiere), including five dancers from Brasilia, for the OMAME Projeto GALA opening night, May 12, 1992 in the in the historic National Theatre, Brasilia, Brazil.  The OMAME Projeto GALA in the famous National Theatre was sold out to conference delegates and public patrons.  This concert was an important event for dance representation for the UN Earth Summit, Eco ’92.

BRASILIA, BRAZIL:   OMAME PROJETO OPENING CEREMONY
NATIONAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE, EDUCATION WORKSHOPS

Brasilia, Brazil – May 3 to June 1, 1992
National Theatre / Brasilia, Brazil
May 12, 1992 @ 9pm

National Theater

Maida Withers Dance Dance Construction Company
DANCE CONCERT PROGRAM (See Program copy – MW DCCO archives)

DANCE FOR THE EARTH
*Prologue (Cowboys and Indians Play) Maida Withers -1991
*Ancient Lands – Ancient Peoples – Maida Withers 1990
*Earth Spirit Rising: Spirit Path/Migration/Remains – DCCo, Music by David Hykes & Native American Singers
Program note: Prologue and Ancient Peoples are based on exotic and desolate wilderness lands in the Four Corners area of the Southwestern United states, lands occupied for centuries by the Anasazi, ancient peoples of the Americas.  these sacred lands constitute a unique place, a convergence of earth energy and spirit.  Withers has been living and working at Earth sites there since 1987.  “I returned to the land of my birth to rediscover my roots only to find a more ancient nature, my own and that of others.”  Maida Withers

INTERMISSION

ROLLING THUNDER:  Messenger Eagle, Spirit Figures, Still Rush, Rolling Thunder/Transformation (World Premiere) 
Rolling Thunder (evening-length program) expresses the new earth myth for the Twenty-first Century.  The gift, the knowledge of the earth, is brought forth symbolically by the Eagle, the Messenger.  All who hear the message change and transform themselves with the Earth.
Concept/Choreography:  Maida Withers; Music: Shaman; Body Painting, Paula Nestarov
Spirit Figure Designs, Marcos Correa; Lighting, William DeMull
Dancers USA: Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Sandra Kammann, Stacy Palatt, Janine Ploetz
Dancers Brasilia, Brazil: Christina Moura, Marina Nestorov, Mariza Correa, Simon Martins, Regina Mendanco.

UNITED NATIONS EARTH SUMMIT (ECO ’92)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL:
June 3-14, 1992

STONE GARDEN
MUSEU DE ARTE MODERNA
June 5, 1992 – Commission new site work

STONE GARDEN COMMISSION / new site specific performance:
MAIDA WITHERS was honored to receive an invitation and support from the famous Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, a commission to create an outdoor site work in the museum’s beautiful and challenging block-long rock garden.  Stone Garden premiered June 5, 1992, one of seven international exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art of Rio for the Eco ’92 conference.  For Stone Garden, American and Brazilian dancers, wearing skin colored leotards, only, crawled and slithered imperceptibly over large rough rocks from one end to the rock garden to another, at dusk.  Keiki Prince, M.I.T. environmental artist, wet some of the rocks to make the crawl easier for dancers crawling for nearly an hour. Tiny lights were positioned in rock crevices to make interesting  illusions during the crawl. “What is rock and what is human?” This amazing slow, intense, drama, was performed at dusk by DCCo dancers, Maida Withers, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Stacy Palatt, Janine Ploetz, and Celia Portilho, Brazilian contemporary dancer. Didgeridoo music by Harold Gent, Australian, and Craig Gibson, combined with penetrating sound of Ken Haritsuka, Japanese/American stone carving artist pounding as he carved a line drawing on the large Sugarloaf Mountain stone contributed by the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro.  The message of unity between person and nature could not be clearer. Regina Miranda, national dance treasure in Brazil, was an important initiator through her vision as performance curator at the Museum de Arte Moderna.

ROLLING THUNDER/TRANSFORMATION, only
Dance Construction Company & Brazilian Dancers
Beach Stage:  La Playa de Flamengo
Rio de Janeiro / June 13 or 14, 1992
Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Sandra Kammann, Stacy Palatt, Janine Ploetz, USA dancers, and five contemporary Brazilian dancers (names TBD) performed Wither’s dramatic environment work, Rolling Thunder/Transformation on La Playa de Flamengo beach stage, Rio de Janeiro during United Nation’s Earth Summit – Eco ’92. There were more than 1,000 conference dignitaries and others in attendance.  Note:  For Eco ’92, OMAME international artists had excellent support of the mayor and the city government of Rio de Janeiro.  The beautiful large outdoor concert stage was set up on the La Playa de Flemengo beach to present local and international events to large international public audiences.  “There was so much excitement about creative engagement to move to a new level of commitment.” (Marilyn Wood, USA, Celebration Art ).

(excerpt, only)

SAND CYCLES / FILM SHOWING
Maida Withers/DANCER & Verabel Cluff /FILMMAKER
Commanding film shot on Coral Sand Dunes, Kanab, Utah, and White Sands, New Mexico was selected for showing in Brasilia.  This epochal work describes a woman’s journey of self in nature, similar to Joseph Campbell’s “heroes journey.”

*SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN SITE PERFORMANCES
Performers:  Open for all performers and general public

Above: Documentary film by Evelyn Roth
June 9, MUD was a site performance by Stacy Palatt, Dance Construction Company, with Gloria McLain, USA dance artist from NYC, and others in a performance on the amazing Sugarloaf Mountain overlooking the City of Rio de Janeiro.   Marilia, US/Brazil/Japan extreme vocal artist and friend of Maida and DCCo was present  and involved as well.
The final day of Eco ’92, June 14, 1992, there were many site performances in many locations on Sugarloaf Mountain.  MWDCCo dancers participated with other international artist through improvisation events in various locations on the beautiful, challenging, and sacred, Sugar Loaf Mountain. The mountain was vibrant and alive with artists from around the world celebrating Brazil and the earth through various public events celebrating the first world earth summit, Eco ’92. Evelyn Roth Documentary Film @ Sugarloaf Mountain; Gloria McLain, NYC, & MWDCCo/Stacy Palatt & Audience (13:00 – 21:14)

COMMUNITY/EDUCATION WORKSHOPS
MWDCCo dancers joined with other international dancers and artists to teach classes and workshops in schools in Brasilia  and Rio de Janeiro, working on environment projects through the arts with children and teachers with some public activities/performances with children on the  mall near the national buildings of government in Brasilia.

SUPPORT …  BEACH PARADE  … PROTEST:
JUNE 8, 1992 – Copacabana Beach Atlantica
During Eco ’92, Maida and Jony (last name?) American artists, carried their hotel outstretched white bed sheet in an official  “support parade” down the length of Copacabana Beach bearing the text, “STOP Bushwhacking the Planet…signed “artists for nature.” This was a reminder to all that USA’s President Bush DID NOT attend the world’s first environment conference, Eco ’92, but sent Vice President Al Gore.

APPRECIATION & GRATITUDE:
MWDCCo dancers (Maida Withers, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Sandra Kammann, Stacy Palatt, and Janine Ploetz) contributed greatly to the arts environment in both Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro for this historic summit. We were grateful for the privileges given us at the Summit.  Rolling Thunder and Stone Garden was destined to be the first of many projects in Brazil by Maida and DCCo.

Gratitude is expressed to Marilyn Wood,  International Center for Celebration, who invited us to engage in this powerful moment in history of global commitment, including the arts, as a vital vehicle, to planet earth – Brazil, ‘Eco 92.

DEPARTURE:
Maida departed Rio de Janeiro to participate in a festival in Belo Horizante, Brazil.
Maida continued deep involvement in Brazil with projects including Tania Fraga, dance/technology, Mirtes Calheiros, cia artesaos do corpo, others.