(Costumes in this video are simple leotards.  The original costumes were from period clothes; 1975 costumes were created by Beth Burkhardt as characters specific to the body of the dancer.  The film has dancers only in leotards???)
(1974)  Original Version: November 1    Evening length performance – nostalgia for the past, coupled with absurdity – emotional gestures combined and exaggerated  revealing insanity of personal emotional gestures.  Yesterday’s Garlands and Yesterday’s Kisses (18 min of a 45 minute dance) in 1974 and staged again in Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre June 3, 1975 as part of the three-week GW Summer Dance Workshop performance (some change in cast).

The dance was originally in two parts:  each dancer has a very small solo that is accompanied by the group. Dancers have choices as to what they do during some of the solos.

The original music created and performed by John Driscoll playing miniature musical sound objects visible to the audience. Maida always insisted the musician be seen by the audience as a performer, just like the dancers. For music, John had a table of various objects including children’s toys and sound making children’s objects (whistle, etc).  Dee Kohanna performed extreme jazz vocal improvisations on stage and also seated in an orange wooden office chair hung above the stage (no legs on the chair, painted orange, and hanging high above performer on stage with 3 ropes making a triangle tied to the stage pipes).

Sequence of choreography (see specific notes in the choreography file):
Male/female duet dressing and undressing on stools;  wringing hands; neurotic touching of body; group expression of emotional gestures; gestures of panic and angst; a foot trying to escape…..other individual neurotic behaviors of distress.

1974 Original Version:   Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater

John Driscoll, Musician/Composer: found objects,  electronics, drums
Children’s toys, plastic pipe; toy cow, legs collapse when button is pushed.
John Driscoll, Composer / Musician 
L
John Driscoll: performs with saw as musical instrument
John Bailey
Brook Andrews, Liz Lerman, John Bailey (original costumes)

JoAnn Sellars, Liz Lerman; (behind), Brook Andrews
Liz Lerman, Brook Andrews
1974 – Maida Withers and cast – original costumes

1975 – Performed as part of the GW Summer Dance Workshop Concert in Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre.  Choreography was repeated but there was a dramatic costume change….no more street clothes, but costumes designed for specific characters – Design by Beth Burkhardt.   Beth’s idea was to exaggerate the body of each cast member:
John Bailey – grey and brown wrestlers outfit; Brook, Charlie Chaplin baggy pants and tight white top with small bow; Maida, grey unitard with low plunging neckline and red flounce with low cut “V” to the breasts; Emily, gold leotard and arms length black gloves; JoAnn, salmon full pants to exaggerate her hips with a small tight maroon top.
The second costumes created “theatrical” stage characters.
Light design – Bill Demull,

See the news release of original performance 11/1/1974 and noted information on summer dance workshop flyer in 1975.

Note:  this work is built on unconventional ideas such as undressing on stage on a stool while thinking about other things (intended to break the sexual aspect of undressing) along with stereotypical emotional gestures of silent theater and melodrama (wringing hands, hands pounding the heart, wiping the forehead, biting nails, etc) – stereotypical gestures representing specific and more universal emotions (codified).

This work came from a period of artists leaving the tradition of modern dance and creating a new world of movement and choices by dancers during the performance. Concept by Maida Withers; dancers/choreographers include Brook Andrews, John Bailey, JoAnne Sellars, Liz Lerman, and Maida Withers.

John Driscoll provided the sound/music with found objects and nonsensical sounds of a plastic tube whirring, a collapsible toy cow that moos, and some electronics.

Extreme vocal Improvisations were performed by singer, Dee Kohanna, sitting in a wooden desk chair with legs of the office chair removed.  The chair was tied with roper that were tied in a triangular fashion to the theatreical pipes running above the stage.

The dance has distinctive dada-like characteristics.

The second cast in the 70s included Maida Withers, Brook Andrews, John Bailey, JoAnne Sellars, and Emily Burken.

1975 Version June 3 – New costumes for each character designed by Beth Burkhardt

Maida Withers, John Bailey (rear), Brook Andrewss

Maida Withers, John Bailey

1984 Version:
Reconstruction in building K in preparation for a lecture demonstration. Dancers included: Brook Andrews, Lilian Fortna, Larry Graves, Susan Short, Stephanie Simmons. (See review below).

2013 Excerpt/ Version (GW student reconstruction by Maida Withers for  DanceWorks)
A 15 minute segment of Yesterday’s Garlands and Yesterday’s Kisses was performed on GW’s 2013 Fall  DanceWorks Concert in Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre November 14, 15, 16, 2013 with John Driscoll performing music live.  Dancers include GW dance majors:  Ian Cecceralli, Ben Sanders, Catherine McCormack , Rebecca Melvin, Nicole Calameta.
Locate Photos:
Video:  https://maidadance.com/works/yesterdays-garlands-and-yesterdays-kisses-2013/

What the press is saying

"Yesterday's Garlands and Yesterday's Kissed" (1974) relied on theatrical devices and campy humor, with a physically and emotionally frenetic duet for Miss Withers and Brook Andrews. The dramatic tableau dominated over movement in "Duet on Stools." Susan Jamieson and John Bailey stoof on isolated stools in lonbely spotlights and peeled off layers of clothing, accompanied by the suggestive dialogue of daytime soap opera." Julie Van Camp

"... high energy work with wit and vigor..." ?