From California to the New York Islands...summer tour comes to a close

8/20/07
by Rachel Prince

We have just returned from the last portion of our summer tour which took us to Redlands California. The Caravan Kids, and Youth Company spent a week teaching and doing residencies with the adult company joining them on the last night for a 3,000 person concert in the historic Redlands Bowl (apparently a stage often visited by music legends The Greatful Dead, and many others). Check out the below article which describes the Caravan Kids, and Youth Company's wonderful work in the local schools...

"Lesson in dance and music"
DAVID JAMES HEISS , Staff Writer for Redlands Daily Facts
Article Launched: 08/14/2007 03:15:34 PM PDT

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/news/ci_6621130

REDLANDS - A dozen young people tapped their way onto the stage at Bryn Mawr Elementary School Monday afternoon, twirling and spiraling to music inspired by folk singer Woody Guthrie. They danced up a sandstorm, and through dance built a house and told stories about building planes.

A dozen 11- to 15-year-old members of the Vanaver Caravan Youth Company of New York gave Bryn Mawr's students a first look at Friday's scheduled performance of the Redlands Bowl, and will continue to visit schools today and throughout the week.

Bill Vanaver, leader of the group, explained to Bryn Mawr's students that "We're a caravan. Caravans are groups of people who travel, and we certainly travel all over the world sharing our music with people." He sang and played banjo as his youth company leaped, twirled and flailed their hands and arms to enact Guthrie's songs. Sometimes they clogged, sometimes they danced barefoot.

Livia Vanaver explained that, "In 1930 when your great-grandparents were still young parents, people in areas like Oklahoma were hit with a big dust storm. People had trouble breathing, and in the distance they saw what looked like new mountains - but of course, they weren't mountains, they were dust storms. Big piles of dust covered their houses and their tractors. And when it was over, they became the poorest of the poor, and many of them moved to California."

As recorded Guthrie music played, the youth company members twirled with their arms high in the air and slightly bent to imitate blowing in a flurry of circles like a dust storm, as a couple stood braced in the center of the fury, watching the intensity around them.

Bill explained that the youth group's movements were "not folk dancing. It's a form of modern dancing, a style that's newer than ballet."

The Vanavers encouraged students to participate in singing along to Guthrie songs such as "I'm Blowin' Down This Old Dusty Road" and "This Land is Your Land" while Bill played the banjo and Livia played the triangle.

"Woody Guthrie wrote hundreds of songs for children," Livia said. "One of them was called Ship in the Sky,' about all the daddies who helped build airplanes."

The youth company acted out dance movements to vignettes of different children's perspectives on how their fathers helped build, fly and land planes safely.

In another song, "Bling, Blang" youth company members swung hammers and twirled around building an imaginary house.
Alyssa Frey, a fifth-grader, thought the performances looked fun.

"I would like to dance. It seems like something like that could be possible. I really liked their dancing," she said. "They were really good."

"It was good dancing and good costumes," said Heidi Grable, a fifth-grader. "With their arms outstretched, it really looked like they were building and flying."

Fifth-grader D.J. Phelps said, "I liked the banjo. It was good how they talked to you and explained what was going on. I learned a few new songs, and I liked how they built the house. You could tell they were hammering and using saws."
"I liked the way they danced," said fifth-grader Andy Martinez. "It looked like they had to practice a lot. I think the children should've sang."

The Vanaver Caravan's visit to Bryn Mawr was part of the Redlands Community Music Association's Music in the Schools program. They will conduct similar programs this week at Crafton, Franklin, Smiley and Lugonia elementary schools.
"Young audiences react differently than older audiences, and they pick up on things that adults sometimes don't get," said Vanaver Caravan member Anna Rose, 11. "And, they aren't judgmental."

"Some of the dances inspire them and they can relate," said another member, Juliet tenBroeke, 12. "I saw kids pointing out things that they could see and tell they could understand, like when we were (acting like we were) on a swing set."
The Vanaver Caravan will present "Pastures of Plenty" at 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 17, at the Redlands Bowl