Sinterklaas

Blog December 7, 2008

Entry by TVC Director and Founder Livia Vanaver

I woke up this morning and my eyes greeted the Jackson Pollock-like patterns of tossled branches of vines and trees against the grey sky. A dusting of snow covered the woods and that chilly knowing revealed winter and darker times are truly here. In contrast, I had this tremendous warmth of feeling that resides in me often for a week, after a meaningful and satisfying performance.

It’s not that our show yesterday at the Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck,NY as a part of the Sinterklaas winter festival, was flawless....but something else took place. I expect a lot of our dancers and musicians...but I got more than I bargained for. We already knew that going into this space to recreate excerpts from Into the Light, was going to be challenging. The collaboration with Arm of the Sea giant puppet theaterr for our holiday show this year (which will be held at Quimby Theatre in Stone Ridge on December 19-21) would require far more rehearsal in this unusual space than 3 hours alotted on the morning of the performance. This is a challenge that comes up in the lives of dance companies that tour or perform in spaces that demand the creation of an instantaneous site specific piece. Patrick Wadden, co-director of Arm of the Sea Theater and I had visited the sanctuary of the amazingly beautiful church last month, along with Jeanne Fleming, who I have dubbed Festival Coordinator Extraordinaire and planned out the sections we could conceivably recreate and the puppets we could actually use in this particular space. We discussed not only logistics but the effect of the various sections of our show that would lend themselves best to this situation.

Yesterday morning we loaded in and everyone now got an eyeful of what I had described in rehearsals in the previous weeks. I told them of the absolute necessity more than ever, to work together like an amoeba (a term the Company has fondly coined when we are on tour as a group of 16 + and tooling around a town to find a restaurant.....or navigating through a crowded festiival going quickly from one gig to the next.). Now we had our multi-generational version, 30 member cast of The Vanaver Caravan from age 9-65, finding our way “ into the light “ and actually seeing what worked, and what didn’t work and how we could create this as a site specific piece in this jewel of a space.

We rehearsed up until a half hour before show time, bending and restructuring choreography, entrances and exits and hoped for the best. Of course, when the audience arrived happily taking shelter from the cold and anticipating this heart opening holiday show that we offer, we all slipped into “amoeba mode” which I find for myself, strenghtening to the core. Pulling this show together with so many unknowns and with each person weaving his or her own part of the production led us into 60 minutes of exquisite focus. The musicians (who as many of you know, are always onstage with us) played from the balcony overlooking the sanctuary with no sound system. The dancers and giant puppets moved deftly through in an 8 foot deep runway across the front of the 25 foot wide sanctuary and through the audience down the center isle (the 2 side isles which we had staged much of the action during our rehearsal were now stuffed with more people who could not be turned away after the pews were fillled).

Good work is when everyone involved offers their very best from the deepest part of themself to each other and to the common goal. Into the Light was received by our eager audience members....who I am fondly reminded are half of the show....with the intention for which was offered. I so look forward to filling the houses in our 4 performances of this light filled production 2 weeks from now in Stone Ridge. Hope you can be there!!

Just about to go out on my daily walk on Mountain Road, down to the ever-changing waterfall to see the new ice formations and have a moment of gratitude in this profound natural setting. I do feel grateful for all the people in my life who bring their inner light to join with my own inner light in often the darkest of times. Namaste

Philadephia Folk Festival 2008

Square dancers join us for our dance workshop.

Livia Vanaver performing "Union Maid" on the Camp Stage.

Amy Fradon, Bill Vanaver, and Jim Barbero performing on the Camp Stage

Scene from "Vigilante Man", TVC dancers

All photographs by Eric Sagotsky

Moments in Dance History

by Livia Vanaver
July 15th, 1:45 AM

Just returned home from an historic day in the life of The Vanaver Caravan. Yesterday we celebrated Jane Sherman’s 100th Birthday  at the Actor’s Fund Residence in Englewood, NJ.  To tell you the truth, I was apprehensive about the whole event.    I knew that Jane was literally “ living for  this day”  and was excited to have people with whom she is very close joining her at this milestone in her life.  But most of  our Company was out of town for this particular weekend.   Even Toby, who has missed only one or two shows in the past 30 years and has never missed a performance for Jane at the Actor’s Home over the past 15 years, was in Utah.   Nevertheless,  there were 6 Caravan Kids ages 11-14 (most of whom have been with us since age 4 :  Anna Rose, Emma Baker,  Rachel Campbell, Rebe Underhill-Hval, Ginger Clickner and Juliet ten Broeke).   They worked diligently to prepare 3 of our favorite suites of ethnic dances,  some fancy footwork/odd rhythm percussive dances, and they learned  the Denishawn Floor Plastique  as recreated by the Denishawn Repertory Dancers with Jane years ago, especially for this occasion.  Jan Campbell,  one of our rock steady Caravan Moms, would drive there and would be ready as dresser and go-for.   Of the Company members,  Fode Sissoko, Ramona Staffeld, Amber Wirthmann, Bill and myself would be perform.  I would be the congenial M.C. as usual and try to weave the program together.  The program would also feature Lyudmilla Melerud,  a fabulous pianist who toured with us in France, during the  1990 Bienale as accompanist for the DRD.   Would this be enough?  We always have our own  fiddler and pianist and a larger Company.  I wanted ideally to perform several pieces from our repertoire of 10 Denishawn dances that Jane has recreated for us over the past 28 years,  but as I mentioned most of the Company happened to be out of town.   I wanted it to be special for Jane and wanted it to meet her expectations.   I needed to get out of my own way and remember what was important.  Jane had for the past 3 montths been living the Nursing Home section of the Actor’s Fund Residence and no longer in her well loved room with her writing desk, copy machine and a flurry of papers indicating many active projects,  in the Assisted Living section.  In the Nursing Home section, she could receive more attention  after several falls.   Jane had not been back to the upstairs Assisted Living section that she’s known home for the past 15 years since her transfer.  This event would ultimately be wonderful for her as is.

The drive down was uneventful.   Another particularly hot and humid day and by the time we got down to New Jersey from New Paltz, we were all schvitzing.   We set up  and Amber began rehearsing the Caravan Kids in the high celilinged lounge.  I went down  to check on Jane.  She was just getting up from a rest and a bit apprehensive about seeing  everyone and having to greet  so many people individually when she couldn’t necessarily even see or hear them well.  Then I heard my inner voice say, “Get out of the way, Livia, and just offer this loving gesture and enjoy every moment “.  2 PM arrived and so did Jane,  wearing for the first time the white tiger patterned flowing floor length vest that I gave to her,  which had been given to me in Oklahoma spontaneously by an audience member in the lobby of one of our shows this past winter.  The program began with Lydumilla playing 2 pieces including,  “Soaring”.   I watched from the lobby and wept with the Caravan Kids and some of  the  beloved  Actors Fund staff members as Jane literally danced in her chair.  I could see her being transported back to the 20’s when that piece was actually set on her.   She moved to every nuance of Lyudmilla’s forceful and fabulous rendition of Schumann’s masterpiece.  Then the Caravan Kids took their places for Floor Plastique.  Lyudmilla accompanied them (without even a rehearsal).  This was our surprise gift to Jane and it was performed with great love and reverence, flawlessly.  Amber danced,  "The Legend of the Peacock”,  the final piece that Jane recreated for TVC.  It seemed as though Miss Ruth herself was coming to pay homage to Jane on this auspicious day.     Fode Sissoko played the ngoni (a West African harp that he made on his last trip to Senegal and which never leaves his side these days) and the djembe  (a West African drum which he plays like nobody’s business!  No one even comes close to his stroke of genious touch and spiritual connection on these instruments).   Fode sings while he plays the ngoni, often improvising in Mandinko about whatever or whomever  is on his mind.    Today, he sang to Jane.  He stood right up in front of her.   You could hear the unrecognizable words interspersed with the gently sung English sounds of, “happy birthday, Jane.”    I moved the microphone close to her so that the audience could hear her comments.  She brightened noticieably as the concert continued.    Ramona danced a Charleston.   The audience could really relate to this!   They  just loved it.    Ramona’s gracious and ebulent style was a perfect offering in this spirit of generosity.  Michelle Mathesius, Director of the Dance Department at NYC’s  High School of Performig Arts.    (She and I have the good fortune and karma to be Jane’s “Dancing Daughters”),  Greg Cary and Bentley Roton from Kaatsbaan and several of Jane’s dearest friends were also present.  We all agreed what a gift it was it was for us all to be together to celebrate Jane during while she was still alive.  There were beautiful flowers from Margaret Myers  (daughter of Clifford Vaughn who wrote many of the Denishawn accompaniments and also toured in the Orient with Jane in the 1920’s).  Howard Gardner, who maintains a  long time correspondence with Jane, sent his regards  which was read during the performance and really said it all:

"To live a full century is a remarkable achievement for anyone.  To have lived life to the fullest, to have given so much to so many, and to remain actively and optimistically engaged with the world, despite all its wrinkles and mis-steps, is a singular accomplishment. I join your multitude of friends and admirers in saluting you on this historic day."

It was indeed an historic day for all of us!   Livia

Colorado

Entry by TVC Director and Founder Livia Vanaver

Friday, 2/1/08

10 AM We left La Junta, Colorado early this morning, after being hunkered down there for 3 nights. Herman wanted to get a head start in case we got caught on a potential snowy mountain pass that we would encounter before reaching Durango (our first destination today). There, we’ll be bidding farewell to Herman and his fabulous Stagecoach Bus and picking up 3 vehicles to finish the last week of the tour.

I have to share with you one of the typical Vanaver road experiences that will forever stand out in my memory of this tour:
When we arrived in La Junta, (The Junction between 4 states...and a real railroad town) it was Tuesday afternoon and Herman made great time driving in from Nebraska. I immediately called a seamstress in town to repair Ambe’s zipper which broke at the end of the last show. The seamstress said she’d come by the motel and pick it up. I then, sought out some interesting local places of interest, as we had a day off and a chance to relax, do laundry and connect with the local community. I picked up a brochure in the hotel lobby for the Koshare indian Museum and gave them call. I inquired about the Company coming to visit the Museum the next day and whether there were any Koshare dancers who might be around to share some of their dances with us. The museum director, Susie Sarlo, who answered the phone, knew exactly who we were, as she was on the board of the community concert association that was sponsoring our concert on Thursday night. In fact, she said, “I have to do a radio show about your concert tomorrow morning. Is there someone from your troupe who could do the show with me since you know more about your work than I do?” So, Bill and I met her at 8 AM and went over to the radio station to promote concert. I have to say that she was so delightful and so was the talk host. We had the best time!. At the end of the radio spot, someone handed me a note. The seamstress had heard us on the radio and called the station to ask us to drop the dress off, as she had forgotten to pick it up from the motel the night before but had remembered when she heard us on the radio. Susie took us straight over and while it was being repaired, she arranged for us to have a tour of the museum with program director, Jeremy Manyik, one of the head Koshares. The adobe style Museum is built with a giant Kiva -like theatre within. I can’t even describe to you how it is so beautifully and creatively constructed. The paintings, crafts and artifacts that this museum houses are so unique....so many treasures!! It was founded in 1933 by James Francis “Buck” Burshears and a group of Boy Scouts...long fabulous story. Best thing is for you to look it up on the internet (Koshare.org). We spent hours in the museum. They even took us down into the basement where much more items that had been bought or donated were being stored, awaiting the building of their extension which will eventually house their library and more exhibit halls. Some of the young Koshare children were beading and creating their own costumes. One of the elder Koshares drummed and sang for us and demonstrated some steps. The whole community that has evolved around this organization is so wonderful. They are dedicated keepers of Native American dance, song crafts and culture of mostly the Pueblo traditions even though most of the members are not Indian. Their dance practices, performances and community service keep them active well into their young adult lives and beyond. We were so happy when a big group of them attended our concert last night in La Junta at Otero Community College. The concert hall was packed last night and Zack made magic with a minimum of lights. They were a warm and enthusiastic audience of great singers..who bought all of our remaining albums. We lovingly donated the proceeds of our cd’s last night to the Koshare Museum and to the great work that this organizaiton is doing. I know this will be a long lasting friendship between the Koshares and The Vanaver Caravan. We can’t wait for them to come to our area and host them for a performance and cultural sharing.

Later on.....afternoon....we’re driving through the snowy mountain pass in the Rio Grande National Park just outside of Durango. It’s breathtaking! Nature is forever inspiring to me, I’m truly loving touring with such a wonderful group of people, bringing Woody Guthrie’s music to the land that inspired him to write thousands of songs.

Bringing Woody back to Bob Dylan

by Livia
1/29/08
10 AM  Mountain Time

Today is a travel day from Nebraska  (where it was 45 below this morning) to southern Colorado.  Bus time is great catchup time  (sleeping, reading, organizing).  
Just a quick recap of the last few days:  We had a wonderful reunion with Eileen and Lisa Channer and Lara Ciganko...all formerly from the New Paltz area.   On the morning of the 24th,  Nathan, Evita, Michael, Bill and myself taught 2 swing dance, clogging and percussive dance workshops for the Main Street Performing Arts Charter School where Lara teaches.    The bus picked us up there after the workshops and we drove up to Hibbing, Minnesota where we performed at the most beautiful old, ornate  auditorium,  where Bob Dylan went to high school.  I thought that was ironic....Woody Guthrie comes to Bob Dylan’s home after so many years of Dylan visiting Woody in his home and in hosptial in Queens  in the sixties.   After the show we all went out to a restaurant/pub called:  Zimmy’s, where Linda, the propietress treated us all to t shirts and various Dylan  memorabiilia.....we went back the next morning to take a Caravan photo with her in front of Zimmy’s.  I have to say again how warm and welcoming everyone is our here in the Midwest.  The audiences have been packed and on their feet with standing ovations after every concert.   There’s a real rapport felt between the Company and every audience we meet.   These are real commuities of people who enjoy their subscription seriees for the year.  We then drove to North Dakota
for a concert in Dickinson and last night we performed in Nebraska.  Each day we get into the theatre and do a sound check with Ross,  our fabulous sound engineer and then spend 2 1/2 hours warming up, going over notes from the show before, and fine tuning 2 pieces at a time from the show.  It’s such a pleasure to have this time to work out details, work in dancers to pieces they haven’t performed before  (last night Talli and Michael danced Hangman’s Reel for the first time, and Isa and Talli danced in Do Re Mi for the first time as well).  It’s always interesting to me to go into a theatre/new space and try to make it your “home”,  orienting ourselves to new dimensions, floor quality and just the ambiance of the  theatre itself.   The Company gets stronger each day as we each explore the art of dance and communicating with each other and our new audiences.   Having Herman as our tour bus guide is pretty fabulous. 
 
 On our day off,  he took us to the town of Deadwood, and then to see the rock sculpture of Crazy Horse which has been in process since 1948.  This is well worth looking up on the internet. I sat in the theatre there holding Amy Fradon’s  hand and weeping....similarly to the way we connected 10 years ago visiting Terezinstaat outside of Prague.  When we really constate how the Native Americans have been treated, how greed for gold overrode the promise to leave the Black Hills of North Dakota to the Indians, untouched as sacred land,  our hearts break.  I could have spent the entire day here but we had places to go and more that Herman wanted us to see.  Herman and his bus company,  Stagecoach Tours take 300,000 people each year on these exact tours to Deadwood, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore  (which was our next stop).  When we got there, the wind was so strong,  it literally blew us through the archway  through all the State flags and onto the stone terrace where we could behold the 4 great sculptures of our Founding Fathers.  One of the highlights was stopping in Rapid City to visit Herman’s digs.  He created his own town, where the busses are stored.  He purchased the set from Dances with Wolves and they serve as an education center and a place for him to store the antiques he collects while on tour with companies such as ours.  Herman and his wife, Wanda, have a chuckwagan/theatre venue there as well, that holds  700.  They entertain during the warmer months as well as running bus tours for thousands of folks to Deadwood,  Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore.. 

Long travel day but beautiful clear blue sky,  lots of trains carrying coal and vast expanse of prairies, cows and buffalo.  

Tour Bus Blues

by Livia Vanaver
1/23/08
1:30 PM Central Time





Well, here we are on the bus zooming along from Iowa,  just 91 miles outside of Minneapolis.  Michael brought a dvd of Stomp and we all thoroughly enjoyed seeing this fantastic movie on the bus today.......  a great show with kindred percussive dance spirits!    All in all, this is a well paced and comfortable tour with Herman Jones of Stagecoach bus tours at the helm.   We all get out every time Herman pulls into a rest stop and have a brisk walk in the  snow and some crispy fresh air!!....as per Diana Byer’s suggestion  (she toured with Allied Concert Series many times over the years  in this area with her amazing company,  New York Theatre Ballet)   Her advice has been invaluable and we’ve found ways to save time and money by doing a good grocery shopping yesterday for supplies for the next few days.   Last night’s concert at the Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Iowa was just great.  The outside of the theatre resembled a ship.  We were told that the marines did their drilling actually in the theatre at one point.   The theatre was built on the banks of the Mississippi with Indiana seen just across the ice floes.  Many huge  bald eagles greated us when we arrived.   We performed for a  very full and receptive audience and wow could they sing!    Our sponsors and stage crew were all so warm and welcoming.  It’s a pleasure to set up, rehearse and perform when you feel an immediate rapport with the whole team involved; from Roger the concert coordinato;,   to wardrobe mistresses Jeanie and Sherry, who pressed costumes, to a delicious, hot home cooked meal before the show. 

Tonight,  some of us will stay at Days Inn  (Mall of America....one of the biggest mega malls in the US....complete with indoor amusement park) and some at Lisa Channer’s and Lara Ciganko’s homes.  Lisa and Lara were 2 of my first students in New Paltz when we the Arts Community first began.  Lisa is now an established theatre director and professor at the University in Minneapolis and Lara  is on the faculty of the Main Street  School, a performing arts high school where Nathan, Evita and Michael with do some swing dance workshops tomorrow morning  (early).  Tonight we’re all going to Lisa’s for dinner and then off to a choreographer’s showcase.  We’ll get  to see Eileen Channer, Lisa’s mom, who is visiting. Eileen was on our first Board of Directors for many years as well as being the assistant to the Dean of Fine Arts at SUNY New Paltz,  where we held our Institute classes for about 15 years. We’ve got a hot game of chess going with Nathan and Elijah. Evita is  crocheting an amazing, expanding round item that she says will be a dress,  Michael, Talli and Isa  are finding bizarre ways of stretching and warming up,  hunkering down with  good books,  Bill and I are finally  having the time to edit over 8,000 of the Caringbridge e-mails in preparation for publishing a book about how a community came forth to heal and found healing for themselves as well....... and Amber is studying the gowns in   bridal magazines.

On tour-The Midwest

by Livia Vanaver
1/21/08

Several people have asked us to keep close touch while we’re on our 3 week tour in the Midwest with our Woody Guthrie show, to that end, we’ll try to keep a blog during our travels...Taking you on tour with us.

I have vivid memories of being little,  bicycle riding age, and sitting in my kitchen in Queens drawing a map at the formica table:  Go  4 blocks and make a right.   Then go 3 blocks and make a left,  10 blocks and go right, make the next left and go 13 blocks.  On and on I would draw my map, not having a clue where I would end up and excited by the prospect of great surprise.  I would then  pack a sandwich and a can of Mott’s apple juice, put it all in the basket in the fron tof my bike and away I  rode...with a plan.  This could have been a good staging for a Merce Cunningham piece.   Life hasn’t changed that much for me.  Somehow looking at the itinerary of this Woody Guthrie tour that we’ve just embarked upon,  the memory of my bicycle journeys keeps flashing strongly in my mind.  

We just arrived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and were met by  Herman Jones, our bus driver with Stagecoach Tours, and new traveling companion...or rather we’re his new entourage of gypies..  Flying in was so beautiful ...everytime I woke up, the cloud formations were morphing from perfect patterns to completely being engulfed by a snowcloud.  I’m so glad that Herman is driving and not us because we’re going through a wintry mix. on the highway heading towards Burlington, Iowa where we’ll do our first  2 concerts tomorrow.  The bus is brand,  spanking new complete with couch and card table in the back and a big space for grand battements holding onto the seat tops, or  stretching on a yoga mat...alternately.  I see that Herman is following a big sand truck...good move I say.   I hope I made the right decision to plow ahead to  our hotel eat dinner there, as opposed to eating now and having travel time later.  We’re all hungry but I think it would be so much nicer to have a relaxing dinner together and turn in for the night.   Aside from Amber’s luggage getting eaten by a conveyor belt, the trip was uneventful.    Meeting up with  Talli in the Chicago airport on his way back from San Francisco to join us on tour was heartening...so far everything is going well...We’re folllowing the plan.