Washington, D.C. -- The George Washington University's Professor of Dance Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company of Washington, D.C., will be featured at International Modern Dance Festivals in Seoul and Taejon, Korea. The dance festivals are among several events hosted by Hong Sun-Kee, the honorable Mayor of Taejon City, and the Art and Culture Associations, to promote international cultural exchange as part of the 50^th anniversary celebration. The dance festival will be held on November 15, 1999, at 7:00 p.m in Seoul, Korea, at the Hoam Art Hall and on November 16, 1999, at 7:00 p.m. in Taejon Korea, at the Taejon Cultural Center.

Maida Withers is a professor of dance at The George Washington University. She is also the artistic director and founder of Maida Withers Dance Construction Company in Washington, D.C. Withers has toured in Korea on three previous occasions performing at Munye Theatre in Seoul in 1993; the 13th International Korean Dance Festival in Seoul in 1994 with the Contemporary Dance Festival in Taejon; and the gala opening of the Jooksan Festival in Ansung in 1995. Withers has presented Korean dance companies, Jeyong Kim and the Hyun Ja Kim Dance Company at The George Washington University. Withers and the Company tour extensively internationally performing, teaching and collaborating on choreographic projects in Brazil and Finland (1999); Venezuela (1998); Russia, Poland and France (1997); The Netherlands (1996); Japan (1993 and 1995); Malaysia (1994 and 1995); Korea (1993, 1994 and 1995) Hong Kong and China (1994); Brazil (1992); Mexico (1987 and 1988); Guatemala (1987); and Germany (1981).

Other guest artists who will be in attendance at the dance festival with Withers include: Jeyong Kim of the Taejon Contemporary Dance Company in Taejon, Korea, and Mandy Yim, a choreographer, dancer and founder of Y-Space in Beijing, China.

Jeyong Kim, a noted contemporary dancer, choreographer, and teacher in Korea, is curating the performances for the Taejon Festival. Kim, a Trustee for the Seoul Modern Dance Association and the Taejon Dance Association, teaches at JoonAng University and GongJoo College. She is director of the Taejon City Contemporary Dance Company and Executive Director of Taejon City Dance Studio. In 1995, Kim was a scholar in residence at The George Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance.

Mandy Yim is resident choreographer and outreach manager of Y-SPACE, a dance center established in 1995, which aims to promote productions that incorporate different art forms. Yim is one of the first graduates of the School of Dance of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She has been a member of the Hong Kong Ballet and a principal dancer with the City Contemporary Dance Company. She has performed in many countries including Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, Germany and the U.S. Recently, Yim received the Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council to do research and perform in the United States.

Taejon, one of the six largest cities in Korea, is home to 150 million people. The name is derived from Chinese characters meaning great field for the large area of flat land that it occupies in the heart of the country. In 1993, Taejon became a city of international renown by successfully hosting the '93 International Exposition. Taejon has established sister city relationships with cities in the USA, Hungary, Canada, Japan and Mexico to promote mutual exchange and cooperation.

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