United Nation’s Earth Summit (Eco ’92)
“Maida Withers, uma das grandes representatantes da eco-active danca.” (1992) June 3 – June 14 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Events prior to start and continuation of UN Earth Summit, Eco ’92:
OMAME Projecto (1992) (May 12 to June 3) Brasilia, Brazil & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  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 in Brasilia prior to Eco ’92 in Rio de Janeiro.  MWDCCo was honored to be associated with international and Brazilian OMAME artists. 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 six week tour was funded by George Washington University, private contributors, and National Endowment for the Arts through the DC Commission for the Arts.

Brasilia, Brazil:  OMAME PROJECTO
Maida was deeply 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, including dancers from Brasilia, for the OMAME Projeto GALA opening night, May 12, 1992 in the in the historic National Theatre.  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.  

National Theatre, Brasilia, Brazil

“Rolling Thunder captures our love and deep concern for planet earth and the human race through a contemporary rite.”  Maida Withers

The National Theatre  concert featured: Messenger Eagle, Spirit Figure, Still Rush, Rolling Thunder/Transformation.  Maida performed two solos: Ancient Lands/Ancient Peoples (shamanic rite), and Prologue (Cowboys and Indians, Play).  The Company was honored to be featured in this significant opening for the international OMAME Projecto.

Rolling Thunder/Transformation was also performed by 4 American and 5 Brazilian dancers during the United Nation’s Earth Summit, Eco ’92 in Rio de Janeiro at La Playa de Flamengo Beach Stage as part of a large international performance presented by the City of Rio de Janeiro.

Rolling Thunder (No video is available of Rolling Thunder in Brasilia, Brazil even though there was a live public broadcast).  For review, please visit the performance in USA:  https://maidadance.com/works/Dance-for-the-Earth/  (28:28 to 01:06:23).

Sands Cycles, Withers 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.”

MWDCCo dancers joined with other international dancers and artists to teach classes and workshops in schools in Brasilia working on environment projects through the arts with children and teachers with some public activities/performances with children (June 16) on the  mall near the national buildings of government.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: UNITED NATION’S EARTH SUMMIT, MWDCCo projects, Eco ’92:
* Stone Garden was commissioned by  Museu De Arte Moderna Rio DeJaneiro as one of their 5 public works associated with Eco ’92.

MWDCCo 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, 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, new world myth – Eco ’92, 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 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.

Rolling Thunder – 4 American & 5 Brazilian dancers perform on Playa de Flamengo Beach Stage during United Nation’s Earth Summit, Eco ’92

*Sugarloaf Mountain Site Performances:  Result  June 9, “MUD” was a site performance by Stacy Palatt, DCCo, with Gloria McLain, USA dance artist from NYC, and others in a performance on the amazing Sugarloaf Mountain overlooking the City of Rio.  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:

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 by the City of Brazil 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 )

Beach Parade – JUNE 8, 1992 – Copacabana Beach Atlantica
During Eco ’92, Maida and Jony (last name?) American artists, carried an 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:
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.

Maida departed Rio to participate in a festival in Belo Horizante, Brazil.