Maida Rust Withers, One of the Seven Original BYU Dance Graduates, Introduces Her Endowment Fund for BYU Contemporary Dance Students
This month, Brigham Young University’s contemporary dance alumni gathered to celebrate the creation of the Maida Rust Withers Endowment Fund in Contemporary Dance.
At the luncheon to introduce Withers and the new endowment, Marin Roper, a professor of contemporary dance at BYU, gave a few opening remarks.
“Today, we are celebrating the establishment of the Maida Rust Withers Endowment Fund in Contemporary Dance,” Roper said. “Maida’s generous contribution will provide opportunities for our student choreographers to pursue unique off-campus opportunities, to study, to research, to collaborate — all to support their original creative choreographic work back here on campus.”
Roper also shared a personal story about her friendship with Withers. Roper moved into Withers’ ward in Arlington, Virginia, in 2013 and lived there for three years. The pair attended concerts and museums together, and Withers introduced Roper to the dance community in D.C.
“Maida would introduce me to her artist friend, and she would always say, ‘Hello, this is my friend, Marin Roper, and we are both Mormons,’” Roper said. “I always got a kick out of that and how open she was about who she is — that just captures her spirit.”
Maida Rust Withers was born in Kanab, Utah, in 1936, and was the youngest of eight children. Her path into dance began at a time when the discipline was not a part of many university programs. When she arrived at Brigham Young University in the late 1950s, dance was not yet a formal degree. Seven dance students believed it should be.
“We all said, ‘Why is there not a dance degree here?’” Withers said. “We are ready.”
With the support of faculty member Leona Holbrook, the seven enthusiastic and talented students' dream to study dance became a reality. In 1958, Withers graduated alongside the first cohort of dance majors, later earning a master’s degree in dance from the University of Utah.
Those early steps would lead to a career spanning more than five decades as a dancer, choreographer and professor. Influenced by modern dance pioneers Anna Halprin and Erick Hawkins, Withers built a body of work known for improvisation, collaboration and social commentary.
In 1974, Withers founded the Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, becoming a central figure in Washington, D.C.’s dance community and later serving as a professor at George Washington University. Her performances and projects have appeared internationally in locations ranging from Europe to Russia to Brazil, often addressing political themes.
The celebration surrounding Withers focused on what comes next for future dancers and artists. The newly established endowment in her name is designed to help young choreographers travel, research, collaborate and develop original projects beyond campus.
“This is unique,” Withers said. “It is not necessarily a tuition scholarship because the vision is to support student creative work.”
For Withers, deciding to create the fund grew out of a sense of gratitude.
“It was really important for me to serve somebody else,” she said. “I have been given so many gifts—you cannot even imagine it.”
The endowment is intended to empower students with the same sense of possibility. Withers hopes the funding will allow young artists to test ideas, study with mentors and pursue projects that might otherwise feel out of reach.
“My hope with the endowment is that young people will feel that it is possible to dream about something,” she said. “If you have a good idea and want to try something, study with someone or find a path you are serious about, you can materialize it into something that can change your life.”
Withers’ career, which has consistently blurred the lines between performance, education and activism, serves as inspiration for rising dancers. As a feminist and supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, she has long used dance as a vehicle for social and environmental advocacy. Her work for stage, site and screen has helped expand the possibilities of what dance could be.
Now, the endowment extends that legacy, turning decades of experience into opportunity for the next generation.
Withers ended her remarks by urging others to give if they are able.
“If you feel like you can support the development of undergraduates and create endeavors with this sort of visionary idea that they are passionate about, then the Maida Rust Withers Endowment is something you can do.”
The luncheon was followed by a beautiful performance by the Contemporary Dance Theatre group at BYU.
